Briefly: Cross-border traffic booms, Ryder opens new facility in Laredo -

Ryder System, Inc. recently opened a new logistics operation in Laredo, Texas and expanded its drayage yard in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

Ryder said the ports of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo now comprise the top inland transborder trade port between the United States and Mexico, after Mexico’s rise to the number one spot among U.S. trading partners last year. Ryder’s new and expanded facilities are designed to support growth in manufacturing while speeding products across the border.

Ryder’s new 228,000-square-foot multiclient warehouse and cross-dock in Laredo, is strategically located along the U.S.-Mexico border and is designed to support the growth in nearshoring. (Photo: Business Wire)

Ryder’s newly built 228,000-square-foot multiclient warehouse and cross-dock in Laredo is located just three miles from the World Trade Bridge on the U.S.-Mexico border with easy interstate access in both directions. It has 102 dock doors, room for 143 trailers, and it’s within a six-mile radius of Ryder’s other operations in Laredo, which allows for overflow and pooling of labor and resources for added flexibility.

“If you look at the market, truck border crossing activity between the U.S. and Mexico is up more than 20% annually since the pandemic, as more businesses look to nearshoring to diversify their supply chains and shorten lead times,” says Ricardo Alvarez, vice president of supply chain operations for Ryder Mexico. “The savings from manufacturing overseas can be offset by inventory sitting on ships or in seaports incurring storage fees; and, of course, by the product being unavailable to meet demand. With Mexico, you put what you need on a truck and it can be in a final-mile distribution center within days, not months.”

On the Mexico side, Ryder is expanding its Nuevo Laredo drayage yard, which facilitates the transfer of freight across the border to U.S. drivers.

Ryder Mexico manages more than 250,000 freight movements annually across the entire Mexican border, supporting customers in the automotive, industrial, technology, and consumer packaged goods industries. The company also operates approximately five million square feet of multiclient and dedicated warehouse and yard space across Mexico.

J.B. Hunt signs intermodal deal with Walmart

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. announced today that its subsidiary, J.B. Hunt Transport Inc., has entered into a multi-year intermodal service agreement with Walmart, in an arrangement that includes J.B. Hunt’s purchase of Walmart’s intermodal assets.

A statement from J.B. Hunt said the strategic service agreement increases the companies’ respective current volume and capacity commitments and enables the development of comprehensive intermodal solutions to drive long-term value for both organizations. In connection with the service agreement and increased commitments, J.B. Hunt will acquire Walmart’s operational intermodal container and chassis fleets.

J.B. Hunt said it has worked closely with Walmart to provide efficient transportation solutions.

“Mr. Hunt always said ‘Good partners attract good partners,’” said Spencer Frazier, executive vice president of sales and marketing at J.B. Hunt. “Our customers trust us to develop solutions that scale and drive efficiencies across their ever-changing supply chains. Today’s announcement is a testament to the mutual trust and shared vision our companies have developed over time, and innovative arrangements like this one demonstrate J.B. Hunt’s disciplined approach to strategically allocating capital to advance our mission of driving long-term value for our people, customers and shareholders.”

J.B. Hunt’s statement said the company is an industry leader in converting over-the-road shipments to intermodal, which reduces a shipment’s carbon footprint by an average of 60%. Operating one of the largest company-owned intermodal fleets in the world, J.B. Hunt Intermodal specializes in domestic and international freight movement that offers dependable, consistent and flexible shipping options, including ocean, transloading, temperature-controlled and expedited capabilities.