News · Rules & filings
World Trade Bridge Truck Lines: Customs Pauses the AVC Rule
World Trade Bridge truck lines ran for miles, so Nuevo Laredo customs paused the AVC rule. For now, the DODA alone is enough to cross. Here is what to know.
Questions about how this affects your trucks? Talk to a licensed agent who ran his own authority.
What happened
World Trade Bridge truck lines got long again this week. Mexico's customs agency made a quick change to keep cargo moving.
The newspaper El Mañana of Nuevo Laredo reported it on Thursday morning, Oct. 8. From Tuesday night into Wednesday, drivers said the line of trucks was more than 5 kilometers long. That is more than 3 miles. Some reports said it reached 30 kilometers.
The line backed up to the Flensa company area on Mexico Highway II, on the Nuevo Laredo side.
The World Trade Bridge is Laredo's main cargo bridge. It is also called Bridge III, or Puente del Comercio Mundial.
What changed at Nuevo Laredo customs
ANAM (Mexico's customs agency) temporarily dropped the required AVC. The AVC (Aviso de Cruce) is the crossing notice. It became a required step on Oct. 2, together with the DODA. The DODA is the Mexican customs dispatch document.
For now, shipments move with the DODA only. The Nuevo Laredo customs brokers' association shared the news in notice 036/2026. It said the simpler setup was turned on so the operation would not stop.
The paper did not give an end date. The change is temporary.
The paper listed these causes for the jams:
- Failures when creating the AVC
- Failures in Mexico's national customs system
- Power outages
- Too few inspection booths open
- Failed tests of the new digital platform
We covered a full month of failures at this bridge in our World Trade Bridge customs failures story.
What it means for owner-operators
If you haul across Laredo, this change should help the line move. But the rules can switch back without much warning.
Long lines cost you hours. They can push your hours of service, your next pickup and your delivery times.
At 11:58 a.m. Central on Oct. 8, CBP's wait-time page showed 30 minutes for standard cargo lanes at the World Trade Bridge, with 15 lanes open. FAST lanes showed 15 minutes. Colombia Solidarity Bridge showed 5 minutes.
What to do next
- Call your customs broker before you roll. Ask if they still want the AVC or only the DODA today.
- Keep both documents ready anyway. If the AVC comes back, you will not get stuck.
- Check wait times at bwt.cbp.gov before you leave the yard.
- Think about Colombia Solidarity Bridge when the World Trade Bridge backs up, if your load and broker allow it.
- Tell your broker early when a crossing delay puts a delivery at risk.
- Keep your logbook honest while you wait in line.
We will keep watching the bridge and share the next change.
Original report
Written by TCZ Permits in our own words. Read the original for the full story.