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What do Laredo trucking companies need from their insurance?

Updated . Sources for every claim are listed at the end.

The short version

  • Laredo is the busiest truck crossing on the U.S.-Mexico border. BTS border crossing data show 2,945,388 incoming truck crossings at the Laredo port in 2025, about 39% of all incoming trucks from Mexico that year.
  • Commercial traffic crosses at two bridges: the World Trade Bridge and the Colombia Solidarity Bridge. CBP lists separate commercial operating hours for each.
  • A U.S. truck policy generally does not cover you inside Mexico. Carriers that cross need Mexican liability coverage, and transfer (cross-border drayage) carriers need their policy to match how trailers change hands.
  • Laredo freight is high value and sits in yards waiting to cross, so cargo theft and unattended vehicle terms deserve a close read.
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The busiest truck port on the border

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics publishes incoming crossings by port from CBP data. For calendar 2025, BTS shows 2,945,388 incoming truck crossings at Laredo, out of 7,589,315 across all U.S.-Mexico ports, roughly 39%. In 2024 the Laredo figure was 3,026,632.

TxDOT's March 2025 border fact sheet adds that more than six of every ten commercial trucks crossing the Texas-Mexico border in 2024 went through the Laredo Region (Laredo, Eagle Pass and Del Rio), and that the Laredo Region handled nearly 70 percent of trade across the Texas border regions.

Incoming truck crossings, Texas ports, calendar 2025 (BTS)
PortIncoming trucks, 2025
Laredo2,945,388
Hidalgo (includes Pharr cargo)719,184
Ysleta (El Paso)641,729
Eagle Pass368,985
Brownsville306,858
All U.S.-Mexico ports7,589,315

World Trade Bridge and Colombia Solidarity

CBP lists two commercial crossings at the Laredo port:

  • World Trade Bridge Commercial: 7:00 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends.
  • Colombia Solidarity Commercial: 8:00 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends.

Hours shape how freight moves. Loads stack up in yards on both sides of the river waiting for the bridge to open or for paperwork to clear, and trucks queue for hours when lines back up. From the U.S. side, freight heads north on I-35 toward San Antonio, Dallas and the Midwest, or east on US 59 toward Houston.

For coverage, the waiting matters as much as the driving:

Where cargo coverage commonly falls short

Common motor truck cargo exclusions and conditionsA loaded refrigerated truck surrounded by seven common cargo gaps. Exclusions: commodity exclusions or sublimits such as electronics, alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceuticals; theft from an unattended vehicle; reefer breakdown spoilage unless endorsed. Conditions and limits: theft conditions such as locks, alarms or secured parking; coverage only on scheduled vehicles; whether the limit applies per vehicle, per load or per occurrence; and the deductible.THE LOADCommodity exclusionsSome goods excluded orsublimited, e.g. electronics,alcohol, tobacco, pharmaUnattended vehicleTheft from an unattendedtruck may be excluded orlimited to set conditionsTheft conditionsLocks, alarms or securedparking may be requiredfor theft to be coveredScheduled vehicles onlyA truck or trailer not onthe schedule may have nocargo coverage at allReefer breakdownSpoilage from unit failureis often excluded unlessadded by endorsementPer vehicle vs per loadCheck whether the limitapplies per vehicle, perload or per occurrenceDeductiblePaid first, by you, onevery cargo claim; checkit against the agreementExclusionCondition or limitCommodity examples are generic;each form has its own list.
Motor truck cargo policies are not standardized: each carrier writes its own form, so these are common patterns, not a description of any one policy. Read the exclusions, the theft and unattended-vehicle conditions, the commodity list and the limit wording on your own form, and compare them to what the broker-carrier agreement asks for.

Transfer drayage and owner-operators

A lot of Laredo trucking is short cross-border drayage: moving a loaded trailer between a yard in Nuevo Laredo and a yard in Laredo so a long-haul carrier can take it from there. That trailer usually belongs to someone else, which brings in trailer interchange insurance or non-owned trailer coverage. See trailer interchange vs non-owned trailer.

Many transfer and line-haul carriers in Laredo run leased owner-operators. Whose policy responds depends on the lease and on whether the driver is under dispatch. See leasing owner-operators insurance and who insures a leased owner-operator.

Mexico-domiciled carriers working only in the border area operate under a different federal rule. Under 49 CFR 368.1, a Mexico-domiciled carrier must get an FMCSA Certificate of Registration to provide interstate transportation in U.S. border municipalities or their commercial zones, and operating beyond that area brings penalties and out-of-service orders.

Leased owner-operator: who covers what

Insurance split between a motor carrier and a leased owner-operatorPrimary auto liability while under dispatch: the motor carrier carries it. Non-trucking or bobtail liability when not under dispatch: the owner-operator. Physical damage on the owner-operator's truck: the owner-operator. Motor truck cargo: usually the carrier, with deductions from the owner-operator only as the lease states. Occupational accident or workers' comp: the carrier sets the requirement and the owner-operator usually buys occupational accident coverage.CoverageMotor carrierOwner-operatorPrimary auto liabilitywhile under dispatchCarries itrequired for its authorityPays only if the leasestates a chargebackNon-trucking (bobtail) liabilitywhen not under dispatchUsually notoften asks for proofCarries itlease says who provides itPhysical damageon the owner-operator's truckUsually notnot the carrier's truckCarries itown truck, own policyMotor truck cargoon the freight being hauledUsually carries itas the carrier of recordDeductions only asthe lease spells outOccupational accidentor workers' comp for the driverSets the requirementsome cover under their WCUsually buys itoften occupational accidentUsually carries itDepends on the leaseUsually not theirs
Typical split, not a rule: the lease decides. Under 49 CFR 376.12(j), the lease must state the authorized carrier's duty to keep the liability insurance FMCSA requires, say who provides other coverage such as bobtail insurance, state the amount of any insurance charged back to the owner-operator, and spell out when cargo or property damage can be deducted from settlements. Section 376.12(h) requires every chargeback item and how it is computed to be listed in the lease. Have an attorney review the lease itself.

Coverage that matters most in Laredo

Laredo does not appear on TxDMV's list of regional service centers. The nearest are San Antonio and Pharr.

Common questions

Does my U.S. truck insurance cover me on the Mexican side of the bridge?

Generally no. Most U.S. trucking policies limit or exclude coverage in Mexico, and Mexico requires liability coverage from a Mexican insurer. See Mexico insurance for cross-border trucks.

Which Laredo bridges take commercial trucks?

CBP lists two commercial crossings at the Laredo port: the World Trade Bridge and the Colombia Solidarity Bridge, each with its own weekday and weekend hours. Check CBP's Laredo port page for current hours before dispatching.

Is cargo theft covered if a loaded trailer is stolen from a Laredo yard?

It depends on the cargo form. Many policies have unattended vehicle exclusions or conditions about locked, fenced or attended yards. Read the theft section before a loss, not after. See does cargo insurance cover theft.

Do I need reefer breakdown coverage for loads waiting to cross?

If you haul temperature-controlled freight, yes. Standard cargo forms often exclude spoilage caused by a refrigeration unit failure, and long waits at the bridge or in a yard put more hours on the unit. Reefer breakdown coverage usually responds to mechanical failure, not to a load that simply sat too long, so read both parts. See reefer breakdown coverage.

Sources

  1. BTS: Border Crossing/Entry Data. Incoming truck crossings by port, calendar 2024 and 2025 (queried by port and year).
  2. TxDOT: Texas Border Facts (March 2025). Laredo Region share of 2024 commercial truck crossings and of border-region trade.
  3. CBP: Laredo, Texas port 2304. World Trade Bridge and Colombia Solidarity commercial hours.
  4. 49 CFR 368.1 (Cornell LII). Certificate of Registration for Mexico-domiciled carriers in border commercial zones.
  5. TxDMV: Regional Service Centers. Center list (no Laredo center).

This page explains insurance, not law. Have your attorney review indemnity and contract language; our job is making the insurance match it.

Keep reading

By operation

What insurance does a Texas carrier need for cross-border trucking with Mexico?

Questions

Do U.S. trucks need Mexican insurance to cross the border?

Coverage

Trailer interchange insurance: who pays when someone else’s trailer is damaged on your watch

Coverage

Motor truck cargo insurance: what it pays, what it leaves out, and what brokers check

Contracts and deadlines

We are leasing owner-operators onto our authority. Who insures what?

Locations

What do San Antonio trucking companies need from their insurance?

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