Delays at Mexican ports costs trucking firms millions

13.10.2026 Sofía Ortiz

Javier Candejas Meneses, President of the Mexican Council for Foreign Trade in the Northeast (COMCE Noreste), noted that the turnaround times for freight transport at the ports of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Altamira, and Veracruz represent an operating cost of approximately US$39.6 million per day, which amounts to about US$1 billion per month.

The president of COMCE Noreste also emphasized that wait times at ports, on highways, and at customs, generate costs that are passed on to various links in the supply chain—from transportation companies to warehouses, manufacturers, import and export firms—with repercussions for the competitiveness of Mexican foreign trade.

According to the Port Motor Transport Average Time Indicator, in July 2026, freight vehicles recorded average processing times of 12 hours and 50 minutes in Manzanillo, 11 hours and 58 minutes in Lázaro Cárdenas, 9 hours and 36 minutes in Altamira, and 7 hours and 13 minutes in Veracruz. When taking into account fuel, the operator, and the tractor-trailer, the estimated operating cost per cycle is US$268 in Manzanillo, US$251 in Lázaro Cárdenas, US$201 in Altamira, and US$151 in Veracruz.

“The economic consequences of a delay are not limited to transportation. When goods are held up, warehouses must reorganize their operations, factories may face disruptions in the supply of raw materials, and customers need to adjust their delivery schedules. For exporting companies, logistics efficiency is a key factor in competitiveness,” said Cendejas Meneses.

This situation is particularly significant for the Northeast—a region comprising Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Durango—which accounted for 48% of Mexico’s exports during the first half of the year. During the same period, the country’s exports totaled US$353.3 billion, confirming the region’s importance to the functioning of international supply chains.

Similarly, it identified other factors that negatively affect travel times, including traffic incidents and congestion at international border crossings.

Although not all incidents cause prolonged disruptions, closures on strategic routes have resulted in wait times of nearly 10 hours, leading to missed delivery appointments and production rescheduling. Regarding border crossings, a comparison presented by COMCE Noreste indicated peak wait times of 47 minutes in Brownsville, 45 minutes in Laredo, 38 minutes in Hidalgo, and 22 minutes in Eagle Pass.

Cendejas Meneses emphasizes the importance of promoting proactive procedures, clear operational rules, information sharing, and contingency mechanisms that help reduce processing times without compromising security or compliance with customs regulations.