Issue #54: Why Mexico, and Why Now

Nearshoring is accelerating. If your customers are moving freight in Mexico, you should be too.

Why Mexico, and Why Now

There’s a moment that happens with almost every freight broker I talk to.

They’ve got a good book of business. One or two customers keep asking about Mexico. And they start thinking: We should probably figure this out.

Then comes the reality check.

Because Mexico freight is different. You’re dealing with border crossings, customs brokers, asset-based carriers who may or may not answer their phones, a new language, and a totally different rhythm of operations. It’s not something you can fake your way through.

And yet—getting started doesn’t have to be a multi-year investment. You don’t need to open a Laredo office next week or hire three bilingual reps just to test the waters. You just need a smart way to get moving.

That’s where Cargado comes in.

And if you’re wondering why this conversation is suddenly everywhere—why every shipper, every OEM, every sourcing VP is talking about Mexico—the answer is pretty simple: the trade war with China changed the map. Tariffs, geopolitical risk, and supply chain instability have made “Asia-to-U.S.” freight a much harder game to play. Mexico, by contrast, offers geographic proximity, favorable trade agreements, and a labor market that can scale. It’s not just that Mexico is growing. It’s that, outside of maybe Canada, it’s the only place that still feels aligned with the U.S. supply chain’s long-term interests. Nearshoring isn’t a trend anymore. It’s an inevitability. The only question is whether your brokerage is positioned to benefit from it.

We’ve worked with over 200 freight brokerages of all sizes—including 8 of the top 10 and nearly half of the top 100 in North America. And while some of them were already doing cross-border freight, the majority were just starting. For most, their first Mexico load came through Cargado. They signed up with a specific opportunity in hand—usually brought to them by a customer—and used our network to get that freight covered. From there, we’ve seen many of them dramatically scale their Mexico offerings: new lanes, recurring volumes, door-to-door solutions, and real relationships with carrier partners in Mexico. That growth curve isn’t hypothetical. We’ve watched it happen hundreds of times.

The First Wall: Finding Reliable Capacity

What we’ve learned from those brokers is that success in Mexico freight doesn’t start with headcount. It starts with access. The carriers you need aren’t on the load boards. They’re not on LinkedIn. And they don’t always have a strong digital presence. In many cases, they’re mid-sized Mexican carriers who’ve been moving cross-border freight for decades, but they’ve built their networks around relationships, not outreach. They move for customers they know. Brokers they trust. And they aren’t interested in being “found” by just anyone.

That’s the first wall brokers run into—just figuring out who to even call.

Posting Freight That Actually Gets Covered

With Cargado, you post your freight—whether it’s a one-off load or a committed lane—and we put it in front of the carriers that actually want it. That might sound obvious, but in cross-border, it’s a game-changer.

We know what lanes each carrier in our network wants to run. We know which regions they serve, where their trucks are based, which types of freight they prefer, and what gets rejected immediately. If your load fits their profile, they see it. If it doesn’t, they don’t. That means you’re not wasting time with misaligned quotes or chasing capacity that was never going to be a fit.

And because these carriers opted into our platform, they’re not just bidding to bid. They’re actively looking to grow their broker relationships. They want volume. They want consistency. They want to work with brokers who understand that this isn’t just a transactional game.

Cross-Border is Built on Trust, Not Transactions

Now, to be clear—Cargado isn’t your ops tool. We’re not your TMS. We’re not here to manage tracking, EDI, or automate document flow. And we’re not a traditional load board either. We’re building a marketplace, and that means there’s a lot more coming—including operational tools to help your team manage the complexities of cross-border execution. But for now, our job is simple: connect you with the right carriers, on the right freight, in a network that’s designed to help you succeed.

What we do offer—right now—is a better way to build relationships. When you get matched with a carrier through Cargado, you’re not just getting a truck. You’re getting a partner. These are carriers who want to help their broker partners win freight and grow their books. They’re not trying to cut you out. They’re trying to build with you.

The best brokers on our platform understand that. They treat their carriers like long-term collaborators, not disposable capacity. And the carriers reciprocate with reliability, communication, and loyalty. That’s the playbook that works in Mexico. It always has been.

Yes, You’ll Need to Invest—Just Not Yet

Eventually, if you’re serious about Mexico, you will want to invest further.

You’ll want bilingual reps. You’ll want people who understand the port dynamics in Laredo and can navigate handoffs at the bridge without creating delays. You’ll want someone who knows which parts of the country need security escorts, and who’s on the hook if something goes wrong.

That level of experience is essential if you’re going to scale a large, complex book of cross-border business.

But you don’t need all of that to get started.

You don’t need to hire ten people or open an office or spin up a special project just to quote a load or test a lane. You just need to be able to offer a competitive price, cover the freight reliably, and prove to your customer that you can make it work. That’s what we give you the ability to do on day one.

Mexico Is Happening With or Without You

This isn’t a shortcut. You still have to learn the market. You still have to build relationships. But you don’t have to start from scratch.

We’ve already done the hard part—building the network. And now it’s available to you.

If you’re thinking about Mexico freight, you’re not too early. You’re probably already behind. But there’s still plenty of opportunity to win.

Start here: cargado.com