San Diego, CA to Detroit, MI freight

The San Diego to Detroit corridor runs within the U.S., feeding the border gateway. On Cargado, multiple carriers bid here in the past year.

Direction

U.S. border feeder

Equipment on this lane

Dry van-led corridor

Carrier availability

Multiple carriers bid here in the past year

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/san-diego-ca-to-detroit-mi.svg" alt="San Diego, CA to Detroit, MI 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 tot"><span>Transit</span><b>4 days</b></div><div class="trmi">2344 mi driving</div></div><a class="lane-cta" href="https://cargado.com/brokers/get-a-demo">Get a Rate <span class="arw">→</span></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 San Diego market (San Diego, Temecula, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Vista) with the Detroit market (Canton Township, Detroit, Wyandotte, Auburn Hills, Warren, Livonia), running within the U.S., feeding the border gateway. Over the past 12 months brokers posted this corridor to the Cargado marketplace. Multiple carriers bid here in the past year.

What ships from San Diego

Freight out of the San Diego market leans toward automotive parts, fresh produce and consumer goods 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 corridor. Browse equipment definitions in the glossary if a term is unfamiliar.

Feeding the border

This U.S. leg connects inland freight with the border gateway at San Diego. Loads typically stage or transload there before crossing into Mexico, or distribute onward after clearing customs northbound. See the border crossings directory for how the gateway operates.

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

San Diego, CA

San Diego is the U.S. side of the San Diego-Baja California border region. Trucks cross north from Tijuana through the Otay Mesa port of entry, which recorded 990,111 truck crossings from Mexico in 2025, and a second crossing, Otay Mesa East, is under construction. Otay Mesa also holds six Foreign-Trade Zone magnet sites.

Industries: Auto parts and medical supplies, industrial and logistics parks, marine cargo, air cargo

Customs: Otay Mesa port of entry, commercial facility. 990,111 truck crossings from Mexico in 2025 (operating). Source
Customs: Otay Mesa East port of entry, with a new four-lane toll road along SR 11; SANDAG and Caltrans broke ground in August 2022. New land port of entry for the San Diego-Baja California region (under construction). Source
Foreign-Trade Zone: San Diego Foreign-Trade Zone 153 magnet sites, all in Otay Mesa. Six magnet sites (operating). Source
Seaport: Port of San Diego marine cargo terminals, including high and heavy cargo. About 2.3 million metric tons in fiscal 2025 (operating). Source
Airport: San Diego International Airport freight. Freight volume down 8.0% in fiscal 2025 (operating). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: Short-line freight railroad from El Cajon to a connection with BNSF at San Diego (operating). Source
Customs: Otay Mesa Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility, a state truck inspection facility for commercial vehicles entering California from Mexico (operating). Source

Distribution: Foreign-Trade Zone magnet sites in Otay Mesa, a seaport, an airport and a short-line railroad.

Destination market

Detroit, MI

Detroit is the busiest truck gateway on the U.S.-Canada border, linked to Windsor by the Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and, since July 27, 2026, the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Auto parts are the top commodity crossing at Detroit. The region also has a steel and bulk river port, a major air cargo airport and development land near the airport.

Industries: Automotive parts, steel and metals, air cargo, warehousing and distribution

Customs bridge: Ambassador Bridge, the privately owned crossing between Detroit and Windsor. About 150,000 truck crossings in August 2026, versus roughly 74,000 at the new Gordie Howe bridge (operating). Source
Customs bridge: Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor (opened July 27, 2026). Source
Customs tunnel: Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Trucks up to 12 ft 8 in high, 144,000 lb, no hazardous materials (operating). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: Canadian Pacific rail tunnel between Windsor and Detroit, where a listed project would raise clearance to allow unrestricted double-stack trains, plus Class I intermodal terminal projects in Wayne County. Source
Seaport: Port of Detroit, 29 terminals on the Detroit and Rouge rivers. Steel is the most valuable cargo; ore is the largest by tonnage (operating). Source
Airport: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport cargo. 354.6 million lb of cargo in 2025 (operating). Source

Distribution: About 6,000 acres of development-ready land near Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and a foreign-trade zone serving six counties and part of Lenawee County.

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 San Diego to Detroit?

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

What equipment is available on the San Diego to Detroit corridor?

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

Why is a U.S. lane on a Mexico freight marketplace?

Because it feeds the border. Cross-border programs need the inland leg to and from the gateway, and brokers post those legs alongside the international move so one carrier network covers the whole program.

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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