San Diego, CA to Phoenix, AZ freight

Lanes/

The San Diego to Phoenix corridor runs within the U.S.

Direction

U.S. domestic

Equipment on this lane

Dry van-led corridor

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/san-diego-ca-to-phoenix-az.svg" alt="San Diego, CA to Phoenix, AZ 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>1 day</b></div><div class="trmi">354 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, Oceanside, El Cajon, and Poway) with the Phoenix market (Phoenix, Goodyear, Tolleson, Mesa, Tempe, and Casa Grande), running within the U.S. Brokers post this corridor to the Cargado marketplace.

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 on the freight types pages.

Equipment on this corridor

Dry van-led corridor. Browse equipment definitions in the glossary if a term is unfamiliar.

Where this lane picks up

Carriers on this lane pick up across the San Diego area: San Diego, Temecula, Chula Vista, Oceanside, El Cajon, Poway, Vista, and Carlsbad. Nearby markets that feed it include Tijuana, Tecate, Ensenada, Palm Springs, and Long Beach.

Where this lane delivers

Carriers on this lane deliver across the Phoenix area: Phoenix, Goodyear, Tolleson, Mesa, Tempe, Casa Grande, Chandler, and Glendale. It also reaches nearby markets like Hayden, Tucson, Flagstaff, Blythe, Lake Havasu City, and Yuma.

Domestic U.S.

This is a domestic U.S. lane, with no border crossing. Carriers bid on it in the same marketplace they use for cross-border freight, so a truck repositioning after an international load can pick this up on the way.

Brokers post corridors like this to Cargado's marketplace, where vetted Mexico and Canada carriers bid and every counterparty is vetted before the first load moves.

More lanes from these markets

Every lane guide for San Diego, CA is listed on its lane hub, by direction and destination country.

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

Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix freight comes from semiconductor, electronics and aerospace manufacturing. Containers arrive by rail from the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports at a Union Pacific intermodal terminal, a BNSF intermodal facility is under construction, and Mexican freight arrives by truck through Nogales. Mexico is Arizona's top export market.

Industries: Semiconductors, electronics and computer equipment, aerospace

Manufacturing: Semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing; Arizona ranked 5th nationally for these exports in 2025. $6.3 billion exported, up 84%. Source
Intermodal or rail yard: Union Pacific Phoenix Intermodal Terminal, with international containers from Los Angeles and Long Beach (opened February 2024). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: BNSF Logistics Park Phoenix intermodal facility; operations expected in early 2027. 350 acres on a 4,320-acre property (under construction). Source
Airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport air cargo (operating). Source
Customs bridge/port: Nogales (Mariposa) port of entry, Arizona. $25.4 billion of 2025 U.S.-Mexico truck freight, 4.0% of the total (operating). Source

Distribution: Trucks dray containers from the Union Pacific terminal to a nearby container yard.

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 Phoenix?

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 San Diego to Phoenix corridor?

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

Is this a domestic lane or cross-border?

This is a domestic U.S. lane. Carriers bid on it alongside cross-border freight, often a truck repositioning after an international run.

Moving freight on this lane?

Post it to 2,400+ vetted Mexico and Canada carriers, or check market rates built from real carrier bids before you quote.

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