Estes bets $56M on cross-border, offshore freight expansion

Estes Express Lines is investing nearly $56 million to expand its cross-border and offshore freight network, including terminals, equipment and capacity serving Canada, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Alex Peebles, senior director of offshore and international at Estes, said the privately held, family-owned carrier is taking a longer view of the freight market rather than allowing current conditions to dictate its investment strategy.

“We’re really looking at all of these investments from a long-term horizon and viewpoint perspective and one that’s going to help accommodate growth and capacity into all the offshore international markets that we service,” Peebles told FreightWaves.

Estes, which is celebrating its 95th anniversary this year, is North America’s largest privately held less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation provider. The company operates a network of over 300 terminals and service centers across the U. S. , Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii with coverage extending to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean window.

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display('div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'); }); Peebles said the company’s ownership structure gives it flexibility to move quickly when real estate and equipment opportunities arise. “We’re not looking past current market conditions, given how fluid everything is right now,” Peebles said.

“But we’re also kind of maintaining course and looking at this from that longer-term lens.” Estes doubling capacity at Laredo border gateway Mexico represents one of the company’s growth opportunities. Estes currently has coverage through 52 service centers across Mexico, along with local sales personnel based in Mexico and Laredo.

Peebles said the carrier is experiencing growth in its Mexico business this year, with Laredo serving as its primary gateway for freight moving across the southern border. Part of the $56 million investment includes a larger Laredo facility that Estes purchased from another carrier and is now retrofitting.

The facility will roughly double Estes’ Laredo door count from about 40 to approximately 85 or 86 doors, according to Peebles. The property also includes warehouse space and a significantly larger yard. The warehouse component could give Estes additional opportunities beyond traditional cross-dock operations at the border. window. googletag = window.

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display('div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0'); }); Estes Express Lines currently has coverage through 52 service centers across Mexico, and has plans to expand capacity in Laredo, Texas. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves) “That’ll be a larger facility that we purchased from another carrier that we’ll be moving in sometime in the near future,” Peebles said.

“That will also double our door count.” Estes is also working to make the Otay Mesa, California, and El Paso-Juarez border crossings bigger parts of its Mexico network. Peebles said Estes already handles some freight through the gateways but sees opportunities to reduce mileage and improve network efficiency.

The carrier has service centers in San Diego and El Paso and is targeting the end of 2026 to implement new routings through the gateways. “We really think there’s a lot of network efficiencies and opportunities for mileage reduction by getting them more in play,” Peebles said.

Canada LTL freight grows despite tariff uncertainty North of the border, Estes has been expanding capacity at three gateways serving Canada. window. googletag = window. googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag. cmd. push(function() {var gptSlot = googletag.

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