North, Central and South America
Intra-Americas
Road, ocean and cross-border customs working together, with the correct bond type chosen for every movement.
How this lane works
Intra-Americas is where road, ocean and customs procedure interact most closely. On the land borders the freight itself is straightforward; the documentation is not. Goods crossing under customs control move on a specific bond type (immediate transportation, transportation and exportation, or immediate exportation), and the choice is made before the load is tendered.
Get it wrong and the load strands at an inland facility with no lawful way forward. It is the single most common failure mode on cross-border road moves, and it is entirely preventable: the entry type and a bonded carrier are confirmed before dispatch, or the move does not start.
Transit planning on this lane also has to come from the right source. US hours-of-service rules cap a single driver at eleven driving hours within a fourteen-hour window, so we build road transits from driver hours and border processing, not map distance and an average speed.
Indicative transit
- Road, US–Mexico / US–Canada
- Days, governed by driver hours and border processing
- Ocean, US to South America
- Roughly 1.5–4 weeks depending on coast and service
Indicative ranges. We quote the services currently operating and flag anything that could affect the schedule.
- Road, US–Mexico / US–Canada
- US hours-of-service rules cap a single driver at 11 driving hours in a 14-hour window.
- Ocean, US to South America
- East and west coast South America are materially different routings.
Key planning factor
Selecting the correct in-bond entry
Goods crossing a land border under customs control move on a specific bond type: immediate transportation, transportation and exportation, or immediate exportation. Choosing the wrong one strands the load at an inland facility with no lawful way forward. It is a documentation decision made before tender, and it is where cross-border road moves most commonly fail.
Gateways
Where this lane starts and finishes.
The ports and airports we use most on this corridor, where routing options are widest. Other gateways are available on request.
Origin gateways
- New York / New Jersey
- Houston
- Miami
- Laredo
- Toronto
Destination gateways
- Santos
- Cartagena
- Callao
- Mexico City
- Montreal
Planning notes
What we check before booking.
- Confirm the in-bond entry type and a bonded carrier before the load is tendered.
- Build transit estimates from driver hours-of-service limits, not from map distance.
- Check preference eligibility under the applicable trade agreement, and the evidence needed to claim it.
Services on this corridor
What we run on this lane.
Road Transport
FTL, LTL, port drayage and cross-border trucking that connect every other mode to your loading dock.
SVC-05Customs & Compliance
Classification, entry preparation and regulatory filings coordinated with licensed customs brokers, so cargo clears smoothly.
SVC-02Ocean Freight
FCL, LCL and specialised equipment on the main east–west and transatlantic trades, with VGM, ISF and free time managed as part of every booking.
SVC-07Managed Operations
Defined operational responsibility inside your warehouse or logistics site: setup, workforce coordination, KPI control and process improvement.
Lane questions
Intra-Americas, answered.
What is an in-bond entry and which type do I need?
It is the mechanism that lets goods move under customs control without being formally entered at the border. Immediate transportation moves goods to an inland port for entry there; transportation and exportation moves them across the country for export; immediate exportation covers export from the arrival port. Which one applies depends on where the goods are being entered or exported, and it has to be settled before the load is tendered, because the wrong type strands the cargo.
How long does a cross-border truck move to Mexico or Canada take?
Days, set by driver hours-of-service limits and border processing more than by distance. A single driver is capped at eleven driving hours in a fourteen-hour window under US rules, and a realistic estimate works within that limit.
Can you handle the trade agreement preference claim?
We confirm eligibility and the evidence needed to support the claim before shipping. If the claim is later audited, it stands on that origin evidence. Duty-preference determinations are made with the customs broker of record on the entry.