Mexico Cross-Border Produce Transportation

Farm Pickups: Collecting produce directly from farms, which are often located hundreds of miles from the Mexico-US border, presents several challenges. Drivers must be prepared for extended waiting times as the produce is gradually cooled to the correct temperature before loading. The reefer unit must arrive fully fueled to maintain the necessary temperature during loading.

The Right Capacity: Access to a network of experienced and thoroughly vetted produce carriers is crucial. The quality of the carrier’s equipment is paramount, as ineffective or uneven cooling and poor ventilation can quickly lead to product spoilage.

Attention to Detail: Every temperature-controlled shipment requires a thorough setup process, ensuring all pertinent questions are asked about each load. This includes confirming equipment specifications, temperature requirements, the need for chutes, drain-hole plugs, and the acceptable radius for wash-out tickets. Shipping organic produce is even more complex, as organic fruits and vegetables are particularly susceptible to absorbing odors.

Drayage Transfer: Unlike cross-border shipping between the USA and Canada, produce shipments crossing the Mexico-US border are typically dropped by the original power unit and picked up by a drayage carrier. This carrier hauls the shipment across the border to a cross-dock facility for transloading. 

Customs Paperwork: Improperly completed paperwork or missing documentation can cause delays at the border. It’s crucial that your Mexico-US customs broker and cross-border partner are knowledgeable about the requirements for efficiently transporting produce across the border.

Cross-Dock: After produce clears customs, it is delivered to a cold storage or cross-dock facility for transloading onto a US-licensed vehicle. This is a critical stage in the transportation process, as offloading produce from a refrigerated trailer into a warehouse with a different, especially higher, temperature can accelerate spoilage. Once the freight is offloaded, the cold-storage team must inspect it to ensure it remains in good condition and at the optimal temperature.

Transload: Equally important as properly offloading produce from an optimally cooled trailer into a temperature-controlled cross-dock facility, is re-loading the freight onto the trailer that will transport it to its final destination. Warehouse staff must verify that the carrier picking up the freight in the USA has precooled their trailer to the desired temperature and maintains that temperature while at the warehouse. Additionally, they must inspect the trailer for cleanliness, odors, acceptable washout tickets, drain-hole plugs, chutes, and overall equipment quality.

Produce Shipping to Canada: For produce shipments moving from Mexico to Canada, a bond is required to avoid US duties and taxes.

Having the expertise, staff, cold cross dock facilities, and the right carrier network to execute these intricate shipments is vital to an efficient Mexico cross-border produce operation.

• TRAFFIX’ experienced team handles all critical inquiries to ensure each shipment is meticulously prepared. 
• Leveraging our carefully vetted network of produce carriers, we coordinate farm or warehouse pickups, ensuring trailers arrive fully fueled, clean, odor-free, and at the correct temperature.
• Before loading, skilled drivers pulp the produce to verify it’s cooled to optimal temperatures, preventing spoilage. 
• En route to the border, TRAFFIX will coordinate with drayage carriers and customs brokers to arrange seamless drop-and-hook operations and ensure all documentation is accurate for swift customs clearance. 
• Upon US entry, your freight is delivered to one of our cold cross-dock facilities, where experienced warehouse staff meticulously inspect pallets for damage and temperature compliance. We currently have cold cross docks located near McAllen, Laredo, Nogales, San Diego, and El Paso.
• Before loading onto the final carrier, warehouse teams assess quality, cleanliness, odor, and temperature.
• We collaborate with warehouses to create inland bills of lading (BOLs) for shipments terminating at the border. 
• Canadian shipments can utilize our customs bond to avoid US duties and taxes.
• In addition to coordinating all the intricate details of your produce shipment from Mexico, TRAFFIX will provide you with customized updates along the way at time intervals best for you. 

TRAFFIX ensures seamless handling of produce shipments from start to finish. Our dedicated team meticulously manages every detail, from coordinating pickups and ensuring optimal trailer conditions to facilitating smooth border crossings and thorough inspections at our cold storage facilities. With our expertise and comprehensive logistics support, we minimize risks of spoilage, expedite customs processes, and provide peace of mind for clients shipping to both the USA and Canada.