How goods cross: border crossings, rail lines and ports

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Most trade between Mexico and the US crosses at a handful of places, and Laredo, Texas leads them all. This page sets out the truck ports, rail crossings, sea ports and airports that carry the trade, with the data for each.

Published October 23, 2026 · Facts as of October 23, 2026 · 10 min read · Sources listed at the end · Rules as of October 23, 2026

Facts as of October 23, 2026. This page states the facts as they stood on that date. Tariffs, rules and figures may have changed since publication. Tariffs and trade policy change often, so we review these pages every month and update them.

73.6%Share of US-Mexico freight value carried by truck in 2025; rail carried 10.9% (BTS data) ²

46.1%Share of US-Mexico truck trade value through Laredo, Texas, in 2025: US$296.2 billion ²

2 bridgesRail bridges at Laredo since February 6, 2025, when CPKC opened its second span ¹¹

3.89m TEUContainers handled at the port of Manzanillo in 2025, the busiest in Mexico (ASIPONA data) ⁴

What is it?

The corridor's goods cross by truck, rail, sea and air. In 2025, trucks carried 73.6% of US-Mexico freight value and rail 10.9%, according to US Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) data ².

Why does it matter?

A few crossings carry most of the value. The top three truck ports, Laredo, Ysleta and Otay Mesa, handled 72.7% of truck trade value in 2025 ². A delay at one of them affects supply chains on both sides of the border.

How does it work?

Most loads cross a bridge by truck or train and clear customs on both sides. Overseas cargo enters through Mexican sea ports such as Manzanillo ^3,4. Our guide to how goods cross explains each step of the process.

In this page

1. How does trade between Mexico and the US travel?
2. Which border crossings carry the most truck trade?
3. Why does so much trade pass through Laredo?
4. Where do trains cross the border?
5. Which sea ports and airports feed the corridor?
6. What is changing at the crossings?
7. Where does time at the border cost money?

01How does trade between Mexico and the US travel?

Road carries most of the value. In 2025 trucks moved 73.6% of US-Mexico freight value and rail 10.9%, according to BTS data ². The other 15.5% moved by sea, air, pipeline and other modes ².

The trade is large. Mexico reported US$545.4 billion of exports to the US in 2025, and the US reported US$338.0 billion of exports to Mexico, in UN Comtrade data ¹. On US Census data, two-way goods trade was US$872.8 billion in 2025 ³. Census and Comtrade are different series, so the figures do not match. Our data gap explainer sets out why.

This page covers the places and the data. The process of a crossing, from export clearance in Mexico to import clearance in the US, is in our guide to how goods cross the border. The role of the customs broker and the pedimento is in our customs broker guide.

Gateways

The corridor's main gateways by mode

• Truck: Laredo, Ysleta, Otay Mesa73.6% of US-Mexico freight value in 2025. The top three truck ports carried 72.7% of truck trade value ².
• Rail: Laredo, Eagle Pass, El Paso10.9% of freight value in 2025. Laredo has two rail bridges since February 2025 ^2,11.
• Sea: Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Veracruz, AltamiraBring overseas inputs into Mexico. Manzanillo handled 3,893,357 TEU in 2025 ^3,4.
• Air: AIFA, Mexico City, GuadalajaraAbout 1.12 million tonnes of air cargo in Mexico from January to November 2025 ⁷.

Shares of freight value are BTS data for US-Mexico trade in 2025. Sea and air figures are Mexican data.

02Which border crossings carry the most truck trade?

Laredo, Texas is the largest. It handled US$296.2 billion of truck trade with Mexico in 2025, or 46.1% of the total value ². Ysleta, in El Paso, handled US$112.4 billion, or 17.5%. Otay Mesa, in California, handled US$58.6 billion, or 9.1% ². Together the top three ports carried 72.7% of truck trade value.

Texas dominates. Six of the 10 largest truck ports are in Texas, and together they carried 75.7% of truck trade value in 2025 ². Shares moved during the year. Truck trade through Ysleta grew 34.8% in 2025, while trade through Santa Teresa, New Mexico fell 14.9% ².

The goods on these trucks are mostly factory products. Computer-related machinery made up 29.4% of US-Mexico truck trade in 2025, or US$189.1 billion. Electrical machinery made up 21.3%, or US$136.9 billion, and vehicles 12.0%, or US$77.3 billion ². Our briefs on computers and servers, wire and cable, passenger cars and auto parts cover the largest of these trades.

Volumes are high every month. US-Mexico truck freight was worth US$51.5 billion in December 2025 alone ².

Compare

The 10 largest truck ports for US-Mexico trade, 2025

Truck trade value in US$ billion and share of all US-Mexico truck trade value, both directions. BTS data as reported by Air Freight News ². The source gives values for the top six ports and shares for all ten. Truck crossings are BTS bidirectional estimates for 2025 and use a different basis from BTS inbound counts.

Port	State	Value, 2025	Share of truck trade	Truck crossings, 2025
Laredo	Texas	US$296.2bn	46.1%	2,850,400
Ysleta (El Paso)	Texas	US$112.4bn	17.5%	956,000
Otay Mesa	California	US$58.6bn	9.1%	1,210,500
Hidalgo	Texas	US$40.8bn	6.3%	Not in source
Santa Teresa	New Mexico	US$33.0bn	5.1%	775,600
Nogales	Arizona	US$25.4bn	4.0%	848,600
Calexico East	California	Not in source	3.1%	Not in source
Brownsville	Texas	Not in source	2.3%	Not in source
El Paso	Texas	Not in source	1.9%	Not in source
Eagle Pass	Texas	Not in source	1.6%	Not in source

03Why does so much trade pass through Laredo?

Laredo has both the largest truck port and a two-bridge rail crossing ^2,11. Port Laredo, counting all modes, handled about US$354 billion of trade in 2025, up from US$339 billion in 2024, according to a WorldCity analysis of Census data reported by FreightWaves ⁶. That is a rise of 4.4%. Its leading goods include motor vehicle parts, computers, cell phones and electronics, passenger vehicles and industrial equipment ⁶.

The World Trade Bridge is the main commercial crossing at Port Laredo. In March 2026 the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) published plans to widen the existing bridge with two southbound lanes and to build a new span of about 1,479 feet with eight northbound lanes. Public comments were due on April 21, 2026 ⁹.

Laredo also shows how fast a crossing can slow down. In April 2022, Texas began extra inspections of all commercial vehicles arriving from Mexico. After a deal on April 13, 2022, Texas dropped them for traffic from Nuevo León, and the wait at that crossing fell from about six hours to about five minutes. Inspections stayed in place at most other crossings ⁵. Our crossing guide covers what causes delays for each load.

04Where do trains cross the border?

Rail carried 10.9% of US-Mexico freight value in 2025. Trains cross at Laredo, Eagle Pass and El Paso ². BTS tables reported by Air Freight News count about 290,100 rail crossings there in 2025 ².

CPKC runs the Laredo crossing. It is the only railway that links Canada, the US and Mexico, and about 41% of its revenue ties to North American trade, as of December 2024 ⁸. Union Pacific and Ferromex also serve the border ⁸.

Capacity at Laredo rose in 2025. Until February 6, 2025, trains crossed there on a single rail bridge. That day CPKC opened a second bridge, about 1,170 feet long, which cost US$100 million. Trains can now run in both directions at once, and CPKC says the bridge more than doubles its border capacity ¹¹.

Rail competes with truck carriers on long routes. CPKC runs intermodal trains of about 7,000 feet between Mexico and Chicago, and says they beat trucks on that route. Schneider launched an intermodal service between the US Southeast and Mexico aimed at auto parts ⁸. Bulk goods also move by rail, including US corn bound for Mexican feed mills; see our corn brief.

05Which sea ports and airports feed the corridor?

Mexico's sea ports bring Asian and other overseas cargo into the corridor. The main ones are Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas on the Pacific, and Veracruz and Altamira on the Gulf ^3,4. Manzanillo is the largest. It handled 3,893,357 TEU in 2025, according to the port authority, ASIPONA Manzanillo. A TEU is one 20-foot container or its equivalent. Two terminals handled most of the volume: SSA Marine México handled 1,648,347 TEU, or 42.3%, and Contecon 1,545,411 TEU, or 39.7% ⁴. Fuel and grain from the US use the Gulf ports and rail; see our briefs on refined fuels and corn.

Air is part of the 15.5% of freight value that moves outside trucks and rail ². Mexico's airports handled about 1.12 million tonnes of air cargo from January to November 2025, down 3.2% from a year earlier, according to the civil aviation agency AFAC ⁷. Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), north of Mexico City, handled the most.

Compare

Mexico's busiest sea port and cargo airports

TEU: one 20-foot container or its equivalent. Port data from ASIPONA Manzanillo ⁴. Airport data from AFAC, January to November 2025 ⁷.

Gateway	Type	Volume	Period
Manzanillo, Colima	Sea port, containers	3,893,357 TEU	2025
Felipe Ángeles (AIFA), State of Mexico	Airport	368,404 tonnes	Jan to Nov 2025
Mexico City (AICM)	Airport	230,270 tonnes	Jan to Nov 2025
Guadalajara, Jalisco	Airport	167,327 tonnes	Jan to Nov 2025
Querétaro	Airport	69,765 tonnes	Jan to Nov 2025
Monterrey, Nuevo León	Airport	69,579 tonnes	Jan to Nov 2025
Tijuana, Baja California	Airport	34,508 tonnes	Jan to Nov 2025

Manzanillo handled 3,893,357 TEU in 2025, the most of any Mexican port, according to ASIPONA Manzanillo.

06What is changing at the crossings?

Facts in this section are as of October 23, 2026. Two large projects aim to add truck capacity. At Laredo, TxDOT's plan for the World Trade Bridge adds a new northbound span ⁹. In California, the Otay Mesa East port of entry is planned with US-side facilities estimated at US$1.3 billion and tolls that change with demand. In January 2025, the regional planning agency SANDAG set a goal of opening in late 2027 and was considering a phased opening ¹⁰. A newer date was not confirmed for this page.

Tariffs can also move volumes between ports and modes. The live list of rules is on our corridor watch page, and our guide to US tariffs on Mexican goods explains how they apply to a shipment.

• Late 2027 (goal)Opening goal for the Otay Mesa East port of entry in California, as set by SANDAG in January 2025. Check for a newer date ¹⁰.
• PendingNext steps for the World Trade Bridge expansion at Laredo after the public comment period ⁹.
• Apr 21, 2026Public comments closed on TxDOT's plan for a new eight-lane northbound span at the World Trade Bridge ⁹.
• Mar 17, 2026BTS 2025 transborder freight figures reported: trucks 73.6% and rail 10.9% of US-Mexico freight value ².
• Feb 6, 2025CPKC opened a second rail bridge at Laredo, so trains can cross in both directions at once ¹¹.

07Where does time at the border cost money?

Goods in transit tie up working capital. As general practice, freight, drayage, freight forwarder and broker fees and, on imports, duties are paid before the buyer pays for the goods. On imports into Mexico, the importer pays duties and taxes before the goods are released; our landed cost guide shows how they add up.

Delay adds to that gap. A load held at a bridge stays on someone's books, and buyers hold extra stock to cover late deliveries. The sale contract decides who carries that cost, usually through an Incoterms rule; the Incoterms guide explains each one. Suppliers to vehicle plants feel this most, because their buyers work on tight delivery schedules. Our guide to payment terms in the corridor covers the trade credit terms that sit on top of transit time.

Where the cash goes

Where cash is tied up while goods cross

1. Before loading
   Goods made and packedMaterials and wages are paid. The goods sit on the seller's books.
2. Dispatch
   Freight and broker feesThe carrier, drayage firm and customs broker are paid or invoiced.
3. At the border
   Duties and taxesImport duties and taxes are paid before release. A delay holds the goods and the cash.
4. Delivery
   Buyer receives the goodsThe credit term starts on delivery or on the invoice date.
5. Due date
   Buyer paysThe cash spent on goods, freight and duty comes back.

The order of cash needs is general practice. Days and costs depend on the contract, the mode and the crossing.

Goods held in transit or as safety stockInventory finance

Funds stock on the move or in a warehouse near the border.

Costs before the buyer paysPre-shipment and post-shipment finance

Covers production and freight costs, then the wait for payment.

Buyer pays on credit termsTrade credit insurance

Covers most of an unpaid invoice if a covered buyer fails to pay.

Questions traders ask

What is the busiest border crossing for trade between Mexico and the US?

Laredo, Texas. In 2025 it handled US$296.2 billion of truck trade with Mexico, or 46.1% of the value of all US-Mexico truck trade, according to BTS data. Its World Trade Bridge is the main commercial crossing.

How much of the trade moves by truck and by train?

In 2025 trucks carried 73.6% of US-Mexico freight value and rail 10.9%, according to BTS data. The rest moved by sea, air, pipeline and other modes.

Where do freight trains cross between Mexico and the US?

Trains cross at Laredo, Eagle Pass and El Paso. CPKC opened a second rail bridge there on February 6, 2025, so trains can run in both directions at once.

Which Mexican sea port handles the most containers?

Manzanillo, on the Pacific coast in Colima. It handled 3,893,357 TEU in 2025, according to its port authority. A TEU is one 20-foot container or its equivalent.

What happens to a truck at the border?

The load is cleared on both sides. A Mexican customs broker files the export declaration, and the importer or its broker files the entry with US Customs and Border Protection. Our guide to how goods cross the border sets out each step.

Read next

• Corridor guideHow goods cross the border: truck, rail, sea and air
• Corridor guideCustoms brokers and the customs declaration (pedimento)
• Corridor guidePayment terms in the corridor: open account and the alternatives
• Product briefAuto parts: the trade that crosses the Mexico-US border in both directions
• Product briefComputers and servers: Mexico's largest export to the US, led by AI racks
• Product briefCorn: the US grain that feeds Mexico's mills and farms
• Ossiano Trade Finance GuideHow each trade finance instrument works
• GlossaryTrade finance terms in plain English

Moving goods across the Mexico-US border? Ossiano Capital works on trade finance in this corridor.

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Sources and notes

1. UN Comtrade, annual trade data 2020 to 2025, all goods, Mexico and the US as reporters. Downloaded October 2026; 2025 figures may be revised. https://comtradeplus.un.org/
2. Air Freight News, US Bureau of Transportation Statistics transborder freight data, 2025 annual report, March 17, 2026. https://airfreight.news/articles/full/transborder-freight-data-annual-report-2025
3. Congressional Research Service, U.S.-Mexico Trade Relations (IF11175), August 13, 2026. https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/2026-08-13_IF11175_366b72c3fd2f3ebe10b28bf3feddca0088251bbb.html
4. Cluster Industrial, Manzanillo closes 2025 as the leading port (ASIPONA Manzanillo data), January 12, 2026. https://clusterindustrial.com.mx/manzanillo-cierra-2025-como-lider-portuario-con-casi-4-millones-de-teus/
5. Fox 4 News, Texas border inspections and the Nuevo León agreement, April 13, 2022. https://www.fox4news.com/news/trucker-blockade-us-mexico-border-texas
6. FreightWaves, US-Mexico trade hits new high of $872B in 2025 (WorldCity analysis of Census data), March 4, 2026. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/us-mexico-trade-hits-new-high-of-872b-in-2025
7. Mexico Business News, Mexico air cargo falls 3.2% in 2025 (AFAC data), January 23, 2026. https://mexicobusiness.news/aerospace/news/mexico-air-cargo-falls-32-2025-despite-passenger-growth
8. FreightWaves, Despite tariff talk, CPKC expects to tap cross-border traffic growth, December 4, 2024. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/despite-tariff-talk-cpkc-expects-to-tap-cross-border-traffic-growth
9. Texas Department of Transportation, World Trade Bridge expansion, public notice, March 18, 2026. https://www.txdot.gov/projects/hearings-meetings/laredo/2026/world-trade-bridge-expansion-042126.html
10. SANDAG, SANDAG and Caltrans advance new port of entry (Otay Mesa East), news release, January 10, 2025. https://sandag.org/news/news-release-sandag-and-caltrans-advance-new-port-of-entry-2025-01-10
11. CPKC via PR Newswire, CPKC dedicates Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge, February 6, 2025. https://www.streetinsider.com/PRNewswire/CPKC+dedicates+Patrick+J.+Ottensmeyer+International+Railway+Bridge/24311059.html

All facts on this page are as of October 23, 2026, the date of publication, and may have changed since. Rules and tariffs are as of October 23, 2026 and change often: check the corridor watch before you act.

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