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 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.

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. The carrier officially opened its relocated Buffalo, New York, service center in June. The 171-door facility quadrupled Estes’ previous door count in Buffalo and serves as an important gateway into Ontario.

Estes has also nearly doubled its Detroit terminal to 139 doors from about 70 and doubled capacity at its Fargo, North Dakota, location. The investments come amid an increasingly uncertain trade environment between the U. S. and Canada.

Estes’ Canada cross-border volumes began 2026 about 1% to 2% below the previous year before reversing course around the end of February, Peebles said. The carrier has since recorded significant year-over-year LTL growth, although he characterized overall customer demand as cautious.

Peebles said tariffs and retaliatory measures are affecting commodities regularly carried across the border, including steel, paper, automotive products and electronics. Estes is closely watching the impact but hasn’t yet seen a major change in volumes. One trend Estes is seeing, however, could benefit the LTL sector.

Rather than radically restructuring supply chains because of trade-policy uncertainty, some manufacturers are purchasing smaller quantities of cross-border goods, Peebles said. That can shift shipments that previously moved as full truckloads into the LTL market. “Manufacturers still need products,” Peebles said.

“And if it is a cross-border supplier that they need, they’re just trying to order that in smaller quantities if they can, which naturally pivots to our world of LTL.” Estes has also recorded growth in its volume truckload, or VTL, service between the U. S. and Canada, which generally handles shipments weighing between 7,000 and 10,000 pounds. Cross-borde