Held Up at the US Mexico Border

There is always a lot of talk in the United States about the border crossings from Mexico. Just a few days ago there was news that border agents were shooting more indiscriminately at people looking to sneak across. In international trade this can be a very tricky situation. There are multiple arrests every day for everything from illegal people to illegal drug smuggling so the border protection agents have their hands full. This leaves honest shippers wondering what they can do to make sure that their cargo is not held up on the truck to or from Mexico.

The best way to get started is to find a good freight forwarder who has experience in shipping according to NAFTA rules. This is for both inbound and outbound freight moves. Freight forwarders will make sure you have complete documentation and many have in-house customs brokers that will clear your cargo.  This can be very helpful since these are the two items that usually will hold up cargo. Your forwarding agent will also advise you how to handle new products that will be moving across the border. For instance they may have you send a sample ahead of time to be inspected and have it classified to avoid having trouble with your first shipment.

While these types of issues can be the difference in whether your cargo will be held up at the US Mexico border, most shipments will have no problems.  Many people think it will be harder to move their cargo across this border because of the various rumors and stories. In reality import and export at the US Mexico border is not much different than any other international shipment, but getting an all-inclusive shipping quote really helps.