Uber Freight: US-Mexico capacity crunch could ‘get worse before it gets better’

Why it matters: Rising U. S. -Mexico freight demand is colliding with a shrinking pool of B-1 drivers that could push trucking rates higher, lengthen border crossing delays and force shippers to rethink how they move freight through gateways such as Laredo, Texas. A shortage of B-1 visa drivers is tightening U. S.

-Mexico trucking capacity and contributing to freight backlogs in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, as cross-border demand continues to grow, according to Uber Freight.

Zeid Houssami, senior vice president at Uber Freight, said increased enforcement involving B-1 drivers has escalated since earlier this year, reducing the pool of drivers available to move northbound freight from Mexico into the U. S.

“There’s a fundamental driver shortage right now in the market, as it relates to northbound cargo,” Houssami told FreightWaves. The capacity squeeze comes as northbound freight demand continues to outpace southbound volumes, creating an imbalance that has become increasingly difficult for carriers to manage.

“There are tremendous backlogs of cargo right now forming in Nuevo Laredo,” Houssami said. “Carriers are being opportunistic. They’re using this market as an opportunity to maximize their margins as much as possible.” Houssami said carriers are using revenue management strategies to determine which customers receive limited capacity.

The problem isn’t a shortage of trucking equipment, he said. “For every driver, there’s something like nine trailers available,” Houssami said. “There’s plenty of actual capacity to put freight in. It’s a matter of just actually transporting it across the border.”

SONAR data shows north, south imbalance in Laredo capacity FreightWaves SONAR data suggests domestic truckload capacity originating in Laredo has loosened in recent weeks, even as cross-border B-1 driver availability remains constrained. Laredo’s tender rejection rate fell from 12. 24% on July 24 to 6. 93% on Aug. 24, approaching balanced market conditions.

The divergence suggests the capacity problem may be concentrated in the cross-border segment needed to move freight from Mexico into the U. S. , rather than a broader shortage of trucks available to haul freight north from Laredo. As of Aug. 24, the SONAR Outbound Tender Rejection Index for Laredo, Texas, (STRI. LRD) of 6.

93% (blue line) shows rejection rates are up 2. 1% year over year. To learn more about SONAR, click here. Uber Freight recently cited Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data showing the number of active Mexican-domiciled southern border carriers declined 6. 3% between Dec. 26 and June 26.

The company said stricter cabotage enforcement and English-language proficiency requirements are likely contributing to the decline. Houssami said carriers are also reporting that B-1 visa renewals have become more difficult and that some drivers are reluctant to cross into the U. S. because of increased scrutiny of their previous operations.

At the same time, demand for cross-border freight remains strong. Uber Freight said the value of trade moving through Port Laredo increased 19. 36% year over year in May, while produce exports through Laredo rose 8% during the second quarter.

“When you couple that with a driver shortage, you see rate levels shooting through the roof,” Houssami said, adding that spot-market rates are significantly outpacing contract rates. Mexican carriers look south for new drivers Mexican trucking companies are responding to the driver shortage by recruiting farther south in Mexico, Houssami said.

Carriers are relocating recruits to training academies where they can improve their English proficiency and learn the requirements necessary to operate as B-1 drivers.

“They’re recruiting drivers from the south of Mexico, relocating them into different academies and developing their English skills, educating them on B-1 requirements and really giving them the training and tools that they need to become B-1 qualified drivers,” Houssami said.

The strategy represents a longer-term investment rather than an immediate solution to the capacity shortage. Houssami said one of the biggest questions for the remainder of 2026 will be how quickly Mexican carriers can bring that new supply of qualified drivers into the market. “I think that’s going to be a wild card,” he said.

Transloading offers alternative to B-1 capacity Uber Freight is also encouraging shippers to reconsider how freight moves through Laredo. In its Aug. 13 cross-border market update, the company described B-1 capacity as a “structural” constraint and said the existing driver pool is no longer capable of absorbing market growth.

Export loads in Nuevo Laredo are increasingly being delayed while waiting for northbound B-1 drivers, according to the company. One alternative is transloading freight in Laredo. Under that model, a Mexican driver moves the shipment to the border, where the freight is transferred into another trailer and hauled north by a U. S. driver.

That effectively allows shippers to ta