Laredo Bridges Truck Crossings Top 2.75 Million This Year

What happened

Laredo bridges truck crossings keep growing, but only a little. A report from the Laredo International Bridge System, published by El Mañana de Nuevo Laredo on Sept. 22, shows 2,750,253 cargo trucks crossed so far this fiscal year. That is 0.4% more than last year, or 12,224 more trucks. The fiscal year still has about one month to go.

The World Trade Bridge did most of the work. It handled 89.1% of all cargo truck crossings. The rest went mainly through the Colombia Solidarity bridge, the other cargo bridge in Laredo.

Money from the bridges also grew, but not as much as the city planned. Revenue reached $77,087,392. That is more than the $76.15 million from the same months last year. But it is $2,315,328 below the budget goal, or 2.9% short. The city expects to close the year near $84 million.

Car traffic grew faster than truck traffic. Personal vehicle crossings reached 4,860,163, up 4.6%.

What it means for owner-operators

Laredo is the busiest land port for trucks between the United States and Mexico. When almost nine out of ten cargo trucks use one bridge, any lane closure, slow inspection or system outage at World Trade Bridge backs up the whole crossing. That means more hours waiting, more fuel burned idling and more missed appointments.

Truck volume grew only 0.4%. That tells you cross-border freight is steady, not booming. Rates on border lanes may stay tight, so every hour lost in line hurts more.

The revenue gap matters too. When bridge money comes in under the goal, cities look at tolls and fees. Keep an eye on any Laredo toll changes for commercial trucks.

Hours matter as well. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lists World Trade Bridge commercial hours as 7 a.m. to midnight. Colombia Solidarity runs 8 a.m. to midnight. Late on Sept. 22, World Trade had 15 regular lanes and 4 FAST lanes open with no wait. FAST is the trusted-shipper program that gets its own lanes.

What to do next

• Check wait times before you roll. CBP posts live border wait times for every Laredo bridge, free, on its website.
• If World Trade Bridge is backed up, ask your customs broker if Colombia Solidarity is an option for your load.
• Keep your USDOT number, MC authority, UCR and IFTA current. A paperwork problem at the port can cost you more time than the line itself. Our filing guide lists every step.
• Build crossing delays into your quotes, so waiting does not eat your profit.
• Questions about permits for border work? Call TCZ Permits at 956-526-6727.