Cross-Border Logistics

The company said earlier this week it opened up a second multiclient facility logistics facility located in El Paso, Texas, which is in close proximity to the Ysleta Port of Entry, which it said is the largest commercial port in the El Paso district, as well as a critical trade corridor for northbound goods out of Juarez, Mexico.

LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Mike Burkhart, VP of Mexico, for Minneapolis-based global logistics services provider and freight forwarder C.H. Robinson, about the ongoing nearshoring push into Mexico and what shippers need to know and be prepared for in order to establish cross-border supply chain and logistics operations south of the border.

As key parts of this expansion, the company said that it has set up new locations in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Laredo, Texas, and also tapped 30-year logistics veteran Troy Ryley as President, Echo Mexico.

Ryder officials explained that these moves were driven by the evolving dynamics of cross-border trade between the U.S. and Mexico, coupled with the ports of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo representing the top inland transborder trade port between the U.S. and Mexico, in tandem with Mexico now being the top trading partner of the U.S. in 2023.

Company officials explained that the driver for this new office is focused on meeting increased demand in cross-border services, in tandem with February U.S. Census Bureau data indicating Mexico has moved past China as the leading exporter to the U.S. for the first time since 2002.

On December 18, CBP said that it is continuing to surge all available resources to safely process migrants in response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals.

With an eye on bolstering United States-Mexico cross-border trade activity, Minneapolis, Minn.-based global logistics services provider and freight forwarder C.H. Robinson said today it has opened up a new facility at Texas-based Port of Laredo. The company planned and built out this facility over the last 18 months.

What has been called “phenomenal” growth in near-shoring will only increase cross-border trade as manufacturers seek sites closer to their markets. While freight transportation providers are streamlining cross-border moves with strong data, partnerships, and expertise, there’s still a lot shippers need to understand before setting up a long-term strategy.

A recently-issued report from San Francisco-based freight forwarding and customs brokerage services provider Flexport examined the inroads being made on nearshoring initiatives in Mexico through the lens of container throughput at the landlocked Laredo, Texas port, which sits between the United States and Mexico.

Company officials said that this new facility, which has more than 25 employees will provide customers with warehousing and distribution services, leveraging its location “at the center of the nearshoring movement—at the U.S.-Mexico border. RXO made a total investment of more than $30 million over the next 10 years, into this facility.

An e2open research report exploring the growth of cross-border e-commerce through consumers’ eyes.

According to a summary of the bill from The Library of Congress, “it requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out a pilot program that assesses whether allowing certain entities to participate in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) would enhance port security, combat terrorism, prevent supply chain security breaches, or otherwise meet the goals of the partnership. Such entities are non-asset-based third-party logistics providers that arrange international freight transportation and are licensed by the Department of Transportation.”

Mexican truck drivers, irked by new border regulations imposed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), have blocked two major border crossings in and out of Mexico. First affected was the Pharr International Bridge leading to and from Reynosa, Mexico. Mexican truckers blocked access to the bridge on Monday to protest increased truck inspections imposed by Abbott.

The last thing most Americans want imported from Canada is the noise, chaos and tension associated with a two-week trucker protest that occurred in Ottawa and on key border crossings. But that appears to be what’s heading to Washington, D.C.

In this podcast, Jeff Berman, Group News Editor for Logistics Management and the Peerless Media Supply Chain Group, interviews Jason Giulietti, President of the Greater San Marcos Partnership.