San Francisco, CA to Leon, Guanajuato freight

The San Francisco to Leon 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

Open deck-led, with dry van 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/san-francisco-ca-to-leon-gua.svg" alt="San Francisco, CA to Leon, 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">San Francisco, CA <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> Leon, GUA</div></div><b>1 day</b></div><div class="trrow tot"><span>Total transit</span><b>5–7 days</b></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 Francisco market (Livermore, Oakland, Hollister, Los Banos, San Jose, Napa) with the Leon market (Leon, Lagos De Moreno, León De Los Aldama, San Francisco Del Rincón, San Juan De Los Lagos, Jacona), running southbound from the U.S. Over the past 12 months brokers posted this corridor to the Cargado marketplace.

What ships from San Francisco

Freight out of the San Francisco market leans toward machinery and industrial equipment, food and beverage and fresh produce based on what brokers actually post there. You can read more about moving these goods on the freight types pages.

Equipment on this corridor

Open deck-led, with dry van 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.

On Cargado, this corridor is covered by a marketplace of verified carriers bidding on freight from hundreds of brokers, with rate context drawn from real bids rather than surveys.

The markets on this lane

Origin market

San Francisco, CA

The Bay Area is a West Coast gateway built on the Port of Oakland, which handled about 2.25 million TEUs in 2025. San Francisco International Airport moved 541,998 metric tons of cargo and mail in fiscal 2025, and Fremont's advanced-manufacturing cluster and San Joaquin County's logistics sector generate inland freight. Union Pacific and BNSF intermodal rail facilities sit at the port.

Industries: Containerized trade, advanced manufacturing, air cargo, warehousing and distribution

Container terminals: Four active container terminals at the Port of Oakland, plus two more terminals listed as available for lease. Active terminals range from 60 to 290 acres; 18 deep-water berths (operating). Source
Seaport: Port of Oakland container volume. 2,253,976 TEUs in 2025, a 50/50 import and export split (operating). Source
Intermodal rail yards: Union Pacific and BNSF intermodal rail facilities at the port. 110 acres and 87 acres (operating). Source
Seaport logistics district: Gateway Industrial District on the former Oakland Army Base, with public infrastructure completed in 2019 and existing rail crossings, plus planned new rail lines to the port's adjacent rail yard. Source
Airport cargo: San Francisco International Airport. 541,998 metric tons of cargo and mail in fiscal 2025 (operating). Source
Advanced manufacturing: Fremont's advanced-manufacturing cluster, the largest concentration of advanced manufacturers in the Bay Area. Over 900 advanced manufacturing companies; one in every four jobs in the city. Source
Inland logistics: San Joaquin County, where transportation and logistics is the fastest growing industry, with a multi-modal transportation hub. 2nd in the U.S. for concentration of transportation and warehousing employment. Source

Distribution: Distribution is anchored at the port's intermodal rail yards and the Gateway Industrial District on the former Army Base, with inland logistics in San Joaquin County.

Destination market

León, GUA

León anchors Mexico's Bajío, where Guanajuato is the country's largest light-vehicle producer, with four assembly plants in the state and an auto-parts cluster at Guanajuato Puerto Interior in Silao. The León footwear and leather industry adds export freight, mostly to the United States. Puerto Interior covers 1,506 ha and combines a customs office and a Ferromex intermodal terminal.

Industries: Vehicle assembly, auto parts, footwear and leather, consumer goods

Plant: Four light-vehicle assembly plants in Guanajuato. 877,463 light vehicles built in 2025, 22.1% of the national total (operating). Source
Industrial park: Guanajuato Puerto Interior. 1,506 ha, 140 companies, 91 in auto and auto parts (operating). Source
Customs bridge/port: Aduana de Guanajuato (interior customs office) inside Puerto Interior (operating). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: Ferromex intermodal terminal inside Puerto Interior (operating). Source
Industrial park: SKYPLUS aerospace and logistics park of Puerto Interior, next to the Bajío International Airport and 12 km from León. 80 ha; first stage to receive more than US$20 million of infrastructure investment. Source

Distribution: Logistics service providers operate inside Puerto Interior, alongside its customs office and rail intermodal terminal.

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 Francisco to Leon?

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 Francisco to Leon corridor?

Postings here lean open deck-led, with dry van 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?

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