Louisville, KY to Irapuato, Guanajuato freight

The Louisville to Irapuato corridor runs southbound from the U.S. into Mexico and typically crosses at Laredo (World Trade Bridge).

Direction

Southbound (U.S. to Mexico)

Equipment on this lane

Dry van-led, with open deck demand

Carrier availability

Vetted carriers cover this corridor

Marketplace activity

Posted by brokers on the Cargado marketplace

<div class="lane-viz"><div class="lane-viz-mapwrap"><img class="lane-viz-map" src="https://cargado-lane-maps.pages.dev/louisville-ky-to-irapuato-gua.svg" alt="Louisville, KY to Irapuato, GUA freight route map on Cargado" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="620"></div><div class="lane-viz-panel"><div class="lane-viz-title">Transit time</div><div class="tr"><div class="trrow"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">U.S. leg</div><div class="trroute">Louisville, KY <span class="arr">→</span> Laredo, TX</div></div><b>3 days</b></div><div class="trrow"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">Border crossing</div><div class="trroute">Laredo, TX <span class="arr">→</span> Nuevo Laredo, TAM</div></div><b>1–3 days</b></div><div class="trrow"><div class="trl"><div class="trlabel">Mexico leg</div><div class="trroute">Nuevo Laredo, TAM <span class="arr">→</span> Irapuato, GUA</div></div><b>1 day</b></div><div class="trrow tot"><span>Total transit</span><b>5–7 days</b></div></div><div class="lane-viz-title">Typical market range</div><div class="lane-rate-band" style="font-size:1.75rem;font-weight:700;color:#16295c;margin:.15rem 0 .6rem">$4K–$5K</div><a class="lane-cta" href="https://cargado.com/brokers/get-a-demo">Request a demo for detailed rates </a><div class="lane-viz-fine">Estimated drive time by road, split at the border. Border dwell varies with documentation and crossing.</div></div></div>

This corridor connects the Louisville market (Louisville, Elizabethtown, Georgetown, Winchester, Shelbyville, Berea) with the Irapuato market (Irapuato, Silao, Celaya, Guanajuato, Apaseo El Grande, Salamanca), running southbound from the U.S. Over the past 12 months brokers posted this corridor to the Cargado marketplace.

Recent carrier bids on this corridor typically land in the $4K–$5K range. Request a demo to see detailed, current rates for this lane.

What ships from Louisville

Freight out of the Louisville market leans toward consumer goods, automotive parts and chemicals and additives based on what brokers actually post there. You can read more about moving these goods on the freight types pages.

Equipment on this corridor

Dry van-led, with open deck demand. Browse equipment definitions in the glossary if a term is unfamiliar.

Border crossing

Most freight on this corridor crosses at Laredo (World Trade Bridge). Loads either run direct with a through-trailer or transload at the border, and the transfer step is priced into carrier bids. See transloading and the Laredo (World Trade Bridge) crossing page.

Cargado is where hundreds of brokers post corridors like this one to verified carriers. Every carrier is checked before it can bid, and banded market-rate context from real bids is built into the product.

The markets on this lane

Origin market

Louisville, KY

Louisville is one of the world's largest air cargo hubs, with Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport handling a record 7.49 billion pounds of cargo in 2025. The market sits in Kentucky's automotive manufacturing base, with rail intermodal terminals on CSX and Norfolk Southern and an Ohio River port with a foreign-trade zone.

Industries: Air cargo, automotive manufacturing, rail intermodal, bulk and river freight

Airport: Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport cargo operations. 7.49 billion lb of cargo in 2025, up 13%, its biggest cargo year (operating). Source
River port: Louisville Riverport on the Ohio River with Foreign-Trade Zone #29 and a dry bulk terminal. 300 acres, 13 miles of rail (operating). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: CSX container-only intermodal terminal beside the airport. Supports traffic flows with the Northwest Ohio intermodal terminal (opened January 2012). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: Norfolk Southern intermodal terminals in the Louisville area, adding parking and track capacity for a joint domestic intermodal service with Union Pacific via Kansas City. Service announced September 2025 (operating). Source
Automotive manufacturing: Kentucky's statewide automotive manufacturing industry. More than 550 companies employing over 106,000 people; automotive-related exports over $6 billion in 2025. Source

Distribution: Air cargo facilities at the airport, container intermodal terminals and an industrial park at the river port.

Destination market

Irapuato, GUA

Irapuato sits in the Bajío auto corridor, where Guanajuato built about 22% of Mexico's light vehicles in 2025. The state's plants make pickups, SUVs and compact cars that ship mostly to the United States, and the corridor also produces auto parts and packaged food. Freight leaves by highway MEX-45 and by Ferromex rail from the Puerto Interior dry port in Silao.

Industries: Vehicle assembly, auto parts, food processing, dry port and logistics services, export manufacturing

Industrial park: Industrial and logistics complex with industrial parks, customs and an intermodal terminal. 1,506 hectares, 140 companies, more than 40,000 direct jobs (operating). Source
Customs office: Interior customs office inside the dry port, Panamericana highway km 160. Import and export clearance inland (operating). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: Ferromex container terminal at the dry port, with non-stop service to Chicago (operating). Source
Vehicle assembly plants: Four light-vehicle assembly plants in Guanajuato making pickups, SUVs, compacts and electrified models. 877,463 vehicles built in 2025, 22.1% of national output; plants averaged 80.2% of installed capacity (operating). Source
Industrial park: Guanajuato's industrial park network, including parks in Irapuato. 48 parks in 17 municipalities, 7,173 hectares of industrial land, 3,650 hectares available (operating). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: Inland rail terminal in Celaya, a development hub declared by the national government in July 2025, to be served by CPKC and Ferromex. 52 hectares (planned). Source

Distribution: A rail container terminal and customs office at the dry port, and a planned inland rail terminal in Celaya.

Market profiles describe industries and facility types from public government, industry, port, railroad and industrial-park sources. They name no shippers, manufacturers, retailers or logistics companies.

Common questions about this lane

How do I find carriers for Louisville to Irapuato?

On Cargado, brokers post the corridor and vetted carriers bid on it. Every carrier is verified before it can bid, which replaces cold-calling unknown carriers.

What equipment is available on the Louisville to Irapuato corridor?

Postings here lean dry van-led, with open deck demand. If you need a type you do not see, post the load anyway. Carriers with matching equipment get notified automatically.

Does freight on this corridor transload at the border or run direct?

Both happen. Most freight crosses at Laredo (World Trade Bridge), where carriers either transfer the trailer to a cross-border drayage carrier or run direct with a through-trailer. The bid reflects the carrier's setup.

Moving freight on this lane?

Post it to 2,350+ vetted Mexico and Canada carriers, or check market rates built from real carrier bids before you quote.

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