Trucking Giant Invests $17 Mil in Terminals on Border

Consolidated Freightways, which posts $2.4 billion in annual revenues, will open two new state-of-the-art trucking terminals this month, one in Phoenix and the other in Laredo, TX. The $17-million investment will allow CF to expand long-haul capabilities of its Mexico division, says Brian Hickert, CF division manager.

"Phoenix and Laredo are important freight hubs for shippers moving cargo into and out of Mexico," he says. Placing the terminals in US cities near the border speeds the time it takes to get shipments to and from Mexico, Hickert notes.

The company is also investing in new terminals in Mexico. The company has seen a steady increase in shipping traffic as more and more companies establish manufacturing operations just inside the Mexico border and support facilities in states in the Southwest, he continues.

In Phoenix, CF built a 121-door terminal with 64,000 sf of dock, office and maintenance space. The terminal, which is at 4301 W. Mohave St., sits on 30 acres and is six times larger than CF's former terminal, which is at 830 S. 25th Ave. The terminal is near a Southern Pacific rail line, and approximately two miles from both Interstates 10 and 17.

In Laredo, the company built a 93-door terminal, with 51,000 sf of warehouse space and 5,200 sf of office space. It is the largest less-than-truckload distribution center on the US-Mexico border, according to the company. It will serve as the major point of consolidation services for all southbound freight and major distribution hub for goods coming into the US. The facility is just 13 miles north of the principal port-of- entry on the US-Mexico border.

The total cost to build the two terminals was $17 million.

Last year, CF opened new terminals in Reynosa, Torreon and Puebla, MX. By mid-year, the company plans to open a 16-acre super hub in Mexico City. In all, CF operates 22 terminals along the border, nine of them are within Mexico and the other 13 are in the Southwest US.

Because it is a licensed international carrier, CF Mexico, a division of CF, can move shipments from origin to destination on either side of the border with no hand-offs to third-party vendors.