Nearshoring Has Created the Biggest
Freight Opportunity in a Generation
Hundreds of Fortune 500 companies have moved manufacturing to Mexico. Every one of them ships freight across the border — and most are looking for better carriers. Here's the data behind the trend.
What Is Nearshoring?
Nearshoring is the practice of relocating manufacturing or business operations to a nearby country — typically Mexico in the context of US companies — rather than offshoring to distant locations like China or Southeast Asia.
Companies choose nearshoring for shorter supply chains, lower freight costs, faster delivery times, shared time zones, and reduced geopolitical risk. The USMCA trade agreement (successor to NAFTA) provides preferential tariff treatment for goods manufactured in North America.
For freight brokers, nearshoring is the defining trend of the decade. Every new Mexico plant is a permanent, predictable freight lane — automotive parts, electronics, appliances, and medical devices flowing across the border year-round.
- 2,000 km border with the US — shortest possible supply chain
- USMCA preferential tariff treatment
- Established maquiladora industrial parks
- Same time zones as US Midwest and Southwest
- Highly skilled automotive & aerospace workforce
- Lower labor costs than US — higher quality than Asia
- No ocean freight delays or port congestion
Industries Leading the Nearshoring Wave
Ranked by number of companies in the GetFreight.ai database with active Mexico operations. Click any industry to explore every company.
Where US Companies Are Manufacturing in Mexico
The top Mexican states by number of US company facilities. Each region specializes in different industries.
Top Mexico Cities for US Manufacturer Operations
The cities with the highest concentration of US company facilities — your highest-density prospect territories.
Fortune 500 Companies with Mexico Operations
The world's largest manufacturers have already made their nearshoring bet. These are the highest-value freight prospects in the database.
Why Nearshoring Matters to You
Predictable Volume
Unlike spot freight, manufacturing plants ship on regular cadences — weekly or daily. Winning a plant means a lane you can build a business around, not a one-time load.
Multi-Plant Shippers
Companies that nearshore rarely stop at one plant. Lear Corporation has 9 Mexico facilities. Magna has 14. Win one, and you have a path to the entire network.
Specialized Rates
Cross-border freight commands a premium over domestic. Brokers who understand the customs, carrier, and compliance requirements can charge accordingly.
Less Competition
Most domestic freight brokers don't specialize in Mexico. Developing cross-border expertise puts you in a smaller, more defensible market with higher margins.
The US-Mexico Border Crossings That Matter
Commercial freight flows through specific ports of entry. Knowing which crossing serves which manufacturing hub is fundamental cross-border knowledge.
~40% of all US-Mexico trade by value passes through Laredo. Primary gateway for Nuevo León (Monterrey), Coahuila (Saltillo), and the broader Northeast Mexico industrial corridor.
Explore Laredo →Serves Ciudad Juárez — Mexico's largest border manufacturing city with 400+ maquiladoras. Key corridor for electronics, automotive, and apparel.
Explore El Paso →Serves Reynosa and Matamoros. Growing electronics and automotive manufacturing zone with direct rail access to US markets.
Explore McAllen →Primary crossing for Mexican produce and Sonora's growing aerospace sector. Major route for perishable freight with reefer requirements.
Explore Nogales →Nearshoring FAQ
What is the difference between nearshoring and reshoring?
Reshoring means bringing manufacturing back to the home country (e.g., back to the US). Nearshoring means moving manufacturing to a nearby country — typically Mexico in the North American context. Both are driven by supply chain resilience concerns and rising costs in Asia, but nearshoring preserves labor cost advantages while dramatically shortening supply chains.
Why are companies nearshoring to Mexico specifically?
Mexico offers a unique combination: a 2,000 km shared border with the US (eliminating ocean freight), USMCA trade benefits, established industrial infrastructure (maquiladoras), a skilled manufacturing workforce, and significantly lower labor costs than the US. These advantages are difficult to match anywhere else in the Americas.
Which industries are nearshoring fastest?
Automotive leads by a wide margin — Mexico is now the world's #7 vehicle producer. Electronics and semiconductors are growing rapidly as companies seek alternatives to Asia. Aerospace, medical devices, and appliances are also significant. In terms of growth rate, electronics and semiconductors are expanding fastest as the "China+1" strategy accelerates.
How do I find companies that have nearshored to Mexico?
GetFreight.ai tracks 16,000+ manufacturers with Mexico operations. You can search by industry, filter by Mexico facility count, browse by border crossing, or explore by Mexican state. Use the Company Search to build targeted prospect lists for specific industries or regions.
What is a maquiladora?
A maquiladora (or "maquila") is a manufacturing facility in Mexico that imports materials and equipment from the US duty-free, manufactures or assembles goods, and then exports them back to the US. Under the IMMEX program, the finished goods are subject to US duties only on the value added in Mexico. Maquiladoras are concentrated in border cities and industrial parks throughout northern Mexico.
Is nearshoring to Mexico a long-term trend?
Yes — the structural drivers are durable. US-China trade tensions, supply chain disruptions from COVID, rising Asian labor costs, and USMCA incentives have all accelerated the shift. Industrial real estate vacancy rates in northern Mexico are at historic lows, and major investment announcements (Tesla Gigafactory, TSMC suppliers, BMW, etc.) suggest the trend will continue through the 2030s.
Explore Cross-Border Freight Data
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