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The short answer

Send the pickup and delivery locations on each side of the border, dates, commodity, pallet or piece count, dimensions, total weight and equipment if known. Add loading method, stackability, temperature, value band, whether transloading is allowed and any crossing preference. For customs, a one-line status (brokers assigned and ready, assigned but documents in progress, need customs setup, or not sure) is enough to start.

This page is part of the U.S.–Mexico Freight Shipping Guide. The domestic basics are in what information you need for a freight quote; this page adds the Mexico layer.

How a Mexico quote gets built

We price the U.S. leg, the crossing and the Mexican leg, and the operating model that connects them: through-trailer, drayage handoff or transload. Each is shaped by the freight, so better freight facts produce a firmer price. Customs does not have to be finished, but its status tells us how firm the timing can be.

Minimum information to start

  • Pickup city and state or full address
  • Delivery city and state or full address
  • Pickup date or window
  • Delivery expectation
  • Commodity
  • Number of pallets or pieces
  • Total weight
  • Equipment type if known

What makes the quote much better

  • Dimensions of each freight type, and stackability
  • Loading and unloading method, and dock, forklift or crane availability
  • Temperature requirement
  • Tarps, straps or chains
  • High-value status when relevant
  • Whether transloading is acceptable
  • Preferred crossing
  • Customs brokers assigned or not yet
  • Importer and exporter known or unresolved
  • Oversize or overweight status

What changes the request

Machinery or oversize. Send drawings or photos, actual dimensions and weight, and lifting and securement information. See oversize and heavy-haul freight.

Reefer. Send the set point, allowed range, continuous or start-stop, product loading temperature, pallet count and appointment requirements.

Multi-stop. List each stop in order with the address, appointment window, pieces on or off and special instructions.

What a useful quote returns

The transportation price or pricing structure, the equipment, the lane and crossing assumptions, which border, drayage or transload items are included, major exclusions, costs that remain unresolved because they depend on permits or customs, pickup and delivery assumptions, and the next step to book. If mandatory cross-border costs are still unknown, the quote should say so rather than show an all-in total.

Common failure points

  • Waiting for the customs file before asking for any price.
  • Sending the commodity name without dimensions or weight.
  • Leaving out that the freight cannot be transloaded.
  • Treating the quote form as the customs submission.

Before requesting a quote

  • Pickup and delivery locations
  • Dates or windows
  • Commodity and packaging
  • Pieces or pallets
  • Dimensions and total weight
  • Equipment type, if known
  • Loading and unloading method
  • Transload allowed or not
  • Special handling
  • Customs status in one line

Common questions

Can a quote be requested without knowing the border crossing?

Yes. We can suggest practical options, though the customs brokers' plan may decide the crossing in the end.

What if the equipment is unknown?

Send the dimensions, weight, packaging and loading method. The Freight Load Planner can help you check the fit first.

Should customs documents be sent with the first quote request?

Only if they help and are safe to share. A transportation quote normally needs the shipment facts, not the customs file.

Send what you know

Mark the rest as unknown; we will price the move and list what still needs confirming.

Request a Freight Quote

Official sources

Last verified: 27 September 2026 against the official sources listed.