Shipping Freight to Mexico - Your Guide

Does your company have suppliers, vendors or customers in Mexico? Do you sometimes pass on business because it will invovle shipping to Mexico? If so, you can't miss this important information about how you can start taking advantage of handling shipments to or from the Mexico. Many companies find that they're overpaying by allowing suppliers and vendors to route their shipments when they take a few minutes to obtain quotes themselves. Both Full Truckload and LTL shipments can carry large markups without the receiver knowing.

Many of our clients express concern about how to handle customs clearance, import duties and other parts of the shipping process, so we decided to take a few moments to explain the finer points of the process. In a nutshell, the steps are very simple. On shipments coming from the US to Mexico, Mexico broker’s U.S. agent coordinates the crossing with the Mexico Customs broker. Once the freight is cleared by Mexican Customs, a drayage carrier delivers the shipment to our designated carrier in Mexico, who delivers the freight to the ultimate consignee.

Pickups for northbound freight are coordinated in the reverse order. Shipments are routed though the Mexico LTL network to the U.S. border and delivered to the Mexico Customs broker/U.S. agent to arrange the border crossing. The Mexico broker arranges drayage to move the shipment across the border and deliver it to a nearby terminal or to a freight forwarder chosen and vetted by the Global Forwarding team. The freight is then routed through the carrier's LTL network for delivery to the consignee.

A customs broker is required to get your freight across the border. Generally, the consignee chooses the customs broker and instructs the shipper to include the customs broker’s name and contact information in the body of the Bill of Lading (BOL). While Global Forwarding does not recommend one broker over another, we can help you to make sure you've asked the right questions and that the process is set up correctly. You can also use our website to request a quote on an LTL or FTL shipment in seconds. As 2016 approaches, take a few minutes to see if you've been overpaying for freight, or losing orders by avoiding shipping to Mexico.