The short version
- San Antonio sits where I-35, I-10 and I-37 meet, on the main truck route between the Laredo crossings and the rest of the country.
- Port San Antonio's East Kelly Railport is 350 acres with direct access to BNSF and Union Pacific, and the Texas Comptroller valued the port's trade activity at more than $1.2 billion in 2024.
- Much San Antonio freight touches Mexico trade, so carriers here need to know where their policy stops at the border and how cross-border loads are covered.
- TxDMV runs a San Antonio regional service center for IRP apportioned registration on established accounts.
The I-35 corridor and Mexico trade
I-35 runs from Laredo through San Antonio to Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth. TxDOT's March 2025 border fact sheet reports that more than six of every ten commercial trucks crossing the Texas-Mexico border in 2024 passed through the Laredo Region, and that commercial vehicles carried 81.4% of U.S. exports and 82.7% of imports processed through the border regions that year. Freight that crosses at Laredo and heads north on I-35 runs straight through San Antonio.
That puts San Antonio carriers into several kinds of work:
- Line haul out of Laredo yards, usually dry van and reefer on broker freight. See dry van trucking insurance and reefer trucking insurance.
- Cross-border loads, where your U.S. policy generally does not cover you inside Mexico. See cross-border trucking insurance and Mexico insurance for cross-border trucks.
- Flatbed and heavy haul for manufacturing and construction across the metro. See flatbed trucking insurance.
San Antonio also sits on I-10, which carries freight east to Houston and west toward El Paso, and on I-37 to Corpus Christi.
Port San Antonio
Port San Antonio occupies the former Kelly Air Force Base on the city's south side. The Texas Comptroller's 2024 profile describes:
- an integrated 1,900-acre campus
- East Kelly Railport: 350 acres of railyard, with rail logistics operated by WATCO and direct access to BNSF and Union Pacific
- access to IH-10, IH-35 and IH-37
- an 11,500-foot runway at Kelly Field, operated by JBSA-Lackland
- more than $1.2 billion in trade activity in 2024, with aircraft and spacecraft equipment as the top export commodity
The Comptroller also identifies Port San Antonio and AllianceTexas in Fort Worth as the state's two intermodal logistics facilities. For trucking, that means rail-to-truck transloading and aerospace parts work, which can mean high-value cargo. See motor truck cargo insurance and drayage trucking insurance.
Congestion and road risk around San Antonio
The 2025 Texas Top 100 Congested Road Segments report (2024 data) found that the San Antonio District has lost three truck top-100 segments since 2023 and seven since 2019. One segment improved sharply: I-35 between Loop 1604 and Natural Bridge Caverns Rd in Guadalupe County fell from No. 16 to No. 42 on the truck list.
Less congestion does not mean less exposure. San Antonio trucks share I-35 and I-10 with heavy cross-border freight and fast-moving traffic, which shifts the claim mix toward higher-speed crashes. Underwriters will still look hard at:
- Driver experience and MVRs. See can new CDL drivers get insured.
- Out-of-service rates and inspections. See what is an out-of-service rate.
- Liability limits above the federal minimum. See why do brokers require $1 million liability.
TxDMV and filings in San Antonio
TxDMV lists a San Antonio regional service center among its 18 centers. It handles IRP credentials and temporary operating authority for established accounts. Your insurer files your proof of coverage electronically. See FMCSA and TxDMV insurance filings.
If you are a new carrier in San Antonio, the first year is the hardest to insure. See new authority truck insurance and what is a new venture trucking policy.
Common questions
Does my Texas truck policy cover me if a load takes me into Mexico?
Generally no. U.S. auto liability policies usually limit or exclude coverage in Mexico, and Mexico requires its own liability coverage. See Mexico insurance for cross-border trucks.
I haul aerospace parts out of Port San Antonio. Is a standard cargo limit enough?
Possibly not. Aerospace components can be worth much more than a typical cargo limit, and some cargo forms restrict specific commodities. Compare your limit to your highest-value load, not your average. See motor truck cargo insurance.
I run Laredo to San Antonio loads for brokers. What do they check on my insurance?
Most broker onboarding checks that your authority and filings are active, that the auto liability and cargo limits meet the broker agreement, and that the truck on the load is covered. Cargo limits and named units are the usual sticking points. See carrier packet insurance rejected and how much cargo insurance do brokers require.
Is moving rail containers from East Kelly Railport considered drayage?
For insurance purposes, yes. Moving containers or trailers between a rail terminal and a warehouse is drayage, and if the equipment belongs to someone else you will usually need trailer interchange coverage. See drayage trucking insurance and trailer interchange insurance.
Sources
- Texas Comptroller: Port San Antonio (2024). Campus size, East Kelly Railport, WATCO, BNSF and UP, interstates, runway, 2024 trade value and top export.
- TxDOT: Texas Border Facts (March 2025). Laredo Region share of 2024 commercial truck crossings; share of trade moved by commercial vehicle.
- TTI and TxDOT: 2025 Texas Top 100 Congested Road Segments. San Antonio District truck segments; I-35 Loop 1604 segment moved from No. 16 to No. 42.
- TxDMV: Regional Service Centers. San Antonio center and its services.
This page explains insurance, not law. Have your attorney review indemnity and contract language; our job is making the insurance match it.
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