Borderlands: Experts see strong cross-border flatbed demand this year
Demand for cross-border flatbed transportation has been bolstered by nearshoring and reshoring of manufacturing in Mexico and the U.S. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves) Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Experts see strong cross-border flatbed demand this year; Tesla breaks ground on Texas lithium refinery; DHL invests $120 million to expand operations in Mexico; and Mediterranean Shipping Co. opens Arizona office. Experts see strong cross-border flatbed demand this year Cross-border flatbed trucking could prove to be the most durable segment of the trucking market in 2023, according to experts. Patty Hinojosa, vice president of Mexico sales and operations for CargoQuotes, said while domestic U.S. trucking rates have been experiencing declines over the past several quarters, cross-border trucking remains steady. “You probably see spot rates going down on the domestic side in the U.S., but not for cross-border trucking, which is usually the same case for flatbed,” Hinojosa told FreightWaves. “When it comes to cross-border, rates usually don’t react the same way compared to other parts of the trucking industry.” In recent months, construction activity has risen both in Mexico and the U.S., spurred by demand for everything from new factories in Mexico to new apartments and homes in the U.S., Hinojosa said. CargoQuotes , based in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, is a full-service freight brokerage specializing in cross-border shipments. “Right now, we are in what we call flatbed season, because construction is happening,” Hinojosa said. “Even though the market for residential real estate is not as strong as before, we are still seeing demand for a lot of metal structures, roofing materials, anything that has to do with new apartment complexes, neighborhoods. We have noticed that our job sites have mainly been apartment complexes, and this is raw material from Mexico to the U.S.” Some of the latest news about flatbed trends came in a recent FreightWaves report that indicated flatbed tender rejection rates (FOTRI) have not declined as dramatically as demand for dry van and reefer capacity. A look at FreightWaves’ Outbound Tender Reject Index for dry van, refrigerated and flatbed trucks across the U.S. To learn more about FreightWaves SONAR, . is a multiservice transportation firm offering flatbed, dedicated and specialized transportation services. The company, based in Pennsylvania, has 30 terminals across the U.S. and operates more than 1,000 power units and over 1,500 trailers. Automaker broke ground Monday on a $375 million lithium refinery it plans to build in Corpus Christi, Texas. “As we look ahead a few years, a fundamental chokepoint in the advancement of electric vehicles is the availability of battery-grade lithium,” Musk said at the groundbreaking, according to . Logistics giant says it is expanding and automating its logistics operation at Queretaro Intercontinental Airport (AIQ) in the Mexican city of Queretaro. (MSC) announced plans for an office in Tempe, Arizona, aimed at expanding the firm’s customer base in the West Coast and Gulf Coast regions. The post appeared first on .
