LTL Freight

Cross-Border LTL Freight

LTL Freight. Consolidated Loads. No Lost Visibility.

Pay for the space you use. Move freight without losing control at the border.

Less than truckload shipping lets you move freight without filling a full trailer. Your goods consolidate with other shippers, you pay for the pallet positions you occupy, and your load still needs to clear customs, cross the border, and reach the final destination on your timeline. We coordinate all of it under one team from Laredo, Texas.

PC Global Logistics LTL freight consolidation at Laredo crossing
Freight That Doesn't Fill a Trailer

Your load consolidates. Your visibility shouldn't.

LTL is the right mode when your shipment runs between 1 and 15 standard pallet positions, or when weight and cube don't justify booking a full trailer. You share the trailer space with other shippers and pay only for what you use. The tradeoff, in most cross-border scenarios, is visibility: once the freight enters a consolidation hub on either side of the border, tracking often goes quiet until the next scan event.

Cross-border LTL adds a layer of complexity that domestic LTL doesn't have. The freight typically moves on a Mexico-side carrier to the border, clears customs, transfers to a U.S. carrier at the crossing, and then routes through a domestic LTL network to the final destination. Each transition is a point where communication can break down, documentation can be missing, or a delivery appointment can be missed without anyone notifying the shipper until the freight is already delayed.

At PC Global Logistics, we manage the full movement under one team and one reference number. We coordinate the Mexico-side carrier, handle customs documentation on both sides, arrange the U.S.-side transfer at Laredo, and hand off to a trusted domestic LTL carrier for the final leg. You work with one contact throughout. If something shifts at the crossing, you hear about it from us, not from a third-party broker who got a call from someone else's dispatcher.

1–15 Pallet positions, typical LTL range
20K Max lbs, standard LTL shipment
24/7 Tracking, both sides of the border
1 Reference number, door to door
How It Works

One team. Every leg of your LTL shipment.

A cross-border LTL shipment through PC Global Logistics follows a coordinated process that keeps your freight moving without communication gaps at the consolidation points or the border crossing.

1
Shipment Booking

Weight, cube, commodity, pickup date, and delivery destination confirmed. Freight class assigned based on NMFC classification. Documentation checklist reviewed before the truck is dispatched in Mexico.

2
Mexico-Side Pickup

Carrier collects the freight at the origin facility. Packing list and bill of lading verified on-site. CAAT and Mexico-side export documentation prepared before departure to avoid holds at the crossing.

3
Laredo Crossing

Pedimento filed and Previo inspection coordinated before the truck reaches the bridge. U.S. CBP entry processed simultaneously. Freight transfers to the U.S.-side carrier at our Laredo facility with a verified piece count.

4
U.S. LTL Transit

Freight moves through our domestic LTL carrier network to the destination city. For regional deliveries within Texas, transit typically runs 1 to 2 days from the crossing. Longer lanes route through established hub networks with standard LTL transit schedules.

5
Delivery Confirmed

POD captured and sent to your team. Customs documents archived and available on request. Exception alerts sent directly to your contact if a delivery appointment or transit window changes at any point in the move.

"Not every shipment fills a trailer. Every shipment should still move like it does."

PC Global Logistics. Laredo, Texas. Since 2016.
LTL Transit by Corridor

Estimated transit times for cross-border LTL.

Transit times on cross-border LTL shipments vary by origin city, destination region, border processing speed, and the domestic LTL network serving the final destination. The ranges below reflect standard transit under normal border conditions. We pre-file customs documentation before the truck reaches the bridge to minimize hold time at the crossing.

Mexico Origin Region U.S. Destination Region Estimated Transit Border Crossing Notes
Monterrey / Nuevo León Fastest Texas (all major cities) 1–2 days Laredo, TX Closest northern Mexico origin to Laredo corridor
Bajío (Guanajuato, Querétaro, Aguascalientes) Texas / South Central 2–3 days Laredo, TX High automotive and manufacturing volume lane
Mexico City / CDMX Texas / South Central 3–4 days Laredo, TX Origin leg adds transit before the crossing
Guadalajara / Jalisco Texas / Southwest 3–4 days Laredo, TX Electronics and consumer goods corridor
Any Mexico origin Midwest (IL, MO, KS, OH) 4–6 days Laredo, TX Routes through domestic LTL hub network post-crossing
Any Mexico origin Northeast / West Coast 6–8 days Laredo, TX Add 1 to 2 days for facility delivery appointments

Transit estimates assume standard border processing. Times may vary based on commodity type, customs holds, carrier availability, and delivery appointment scheduling at the destination facility.

Why PC Global Logistics

LTL without the visibility gap.

Most LTL providers hand off cross-border freight at the border and lose the thread. We keep one team accountable across every leg of the move, from pickup in Mexico to delivery in the United States.

Single-Team Accountability Across the Border

The most common failure point in cross-border LTL is the handoff. A Mexico-side broker sends the freight to the crossing, and a separate U.S. team picks it up on the other side. When there is a documentation issue, a delay at customs, or a missed delivery window, each team points to the other. At PC Global Logistics, one team coordinates both legs. If something needs to be resolved at the crossing, we resolve it without asking you to call another contact. Your shipment has one reference number and one team from origin to delivery. For details on how we manage the full move, see our Cross-Border Freight service.

Customs Coordination Built Into Every LTL Move

Cross-border LTL requires the same customs documentation as a full truckload: pedimento, commercial invoice, packing list, CBP entry on the U.S. side, and in some cases additional permits depending on the commodity. Smaller LTL shipments are not exempt from these requirements, and errors or missing documents create the same border holds regardless of the load size. We pre-file all documentation before the truck reaches the bridge. The pedimento is filed with the Mexico-side customs broker and the U.S. CBP entry is submitted simultaneously so that when the truck arrives at the port of entry, the clearance is already in process. See our Customs Coordination service for a full breakdown.

The Right Mode for Growing Shippers

LTL is the natural entry point for importers and distributors who are building cross-border volume but aren't yet running consistent full-trailer loads on a weekly cadence. It lets you move freight without committing to dedicated capacity you don't fully utilize. As your volume grows and the freight on a given lane consistently exceeds 15 pallets or pushes toward trailer capacity, we can transition that lane to a dedicated FTL program without disrupting your operations. We have shippers who started on LTL and moved to contracted FTL over 12 to 18 months as their U.S. distribution grew. We structure the relationship to grow with you, not to lock you into a mode that no longer fits. See our Full Truckload service when you're ready for that conversation.

Common Questions

LTL Freight FAQ.

Less than truckload (LTL) means your shipment occupies a portion of a shared trailer rather than a dedicated one. You pay only for the space your freight takes up, typically measured by pallet positions, weight, and freight class. LTL makes sense when your shipment falls below 15 standard pallet positions or under approximately 20,000 lbs, when your freight density and value don't justify paying for a full trailer, or when you don't have the volume to fill a dedicated lane on a consistent schedule. Full truckload (FTL) becomes the better option once your loads regularly fill 16 or more pallet positions, when transit time sensitivity or cargo value makes consolidated handling a risk, or when you have enough weekly volume on a lane to negotiate a contracted FTL rate that beats repeated LTL bookings. If you're unsure which mode fits your current volume, contact us with your origin, destination, pallet count, and weight and we'll tell you which option gives you the better cost and reliability profile for your specific situation.
Domestic LTL in the United States operates through established carrier networks with predictable hub-and-spoke schedules and standard freight class pricing. Cross-border LTL requires an additional set of steps that domestic carriers don't handle: Mexican customs export documentation (pedimento), U.S. Customs and Border Protection entry filing, physical transfer of freight from a Mexico-registered carrier to a U.S.-registered carrier at the crossing, and in many cases a Previo inspection at the Mexican customs facility before the truck reaches the bridge. Each of these steps adds time and introduces a point where the shipment can be held if documentation is incomplete or incorrect. At PC Global Logistics, we manage all of these steps in-house under one team. We are not brokering the Mexico-side move to a third party and hoping the paperwork arrives before the truck does. We coordinate both sides simultaneously so the crossing is as smooth as the domestic portion of the move.
Cross-border LTL pricing is based on several factors: the freight class (determined by density, stowability, handling difficulty, and liability), the weight and dimensions of the shipment, the origin and destination zip codes, and whether customs coordination is bundled into the quote. Fuel surcharges and border processing fees may also apply depending on the lane and the time of year. Because cross-border LTL involves two carrier legs and a customs clearance event, the total cost typically includes a Mexico-side carrier rate, a customs coordination fee on both sides, and a U.S. domestic LTL rate from Laredo to the final destination. At PC Global Logistics, we provide consolidated quotes that cover all of these components. There are no fees added after the shipment moves. Request a quote with your pallet count, weight, commodity, origin, and destination and we'll come back with a clear all-in rate, usually the same business day.
Tracking on cross-border LTL has historically been one of the weak points of the mode. Most domestic LTL networks provide scan-based tracking with updates at major hub events, but visibility between those scan points is limited. On the Mexico side, carrier tracking systems vary significantly by company, and real-time GPS tracking is not universal across all carriers in the country. At PC Global Logistics, we maintain direct communication with the Mexico-side carrier from the moment the truck is dispatched. We track the load to the crossing, confirm the transfer at Laredo, and pass the shipment to the U.S. domestic carrier with a verified piece count and reference number that links to the U.S. tracking system. If there is a delay at the border, a customs hold, or any issue in transit, we contact you directly rather than waiting for you to call and ask. You work with a single point of contact throughout the move.
Get Started

Ready to move your first LTL load?

Tell us your origin city, destination, pallet count, weight, and commodity. We'll come back with an all-in rate that covers both sides of the border and customs coordination, typically within the same business day. No hidden fees added after the shipment moves.

Request a Quote Call (956) 815-8913