Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: As I-35 traffic worsens, SH 130 courts cross-border trucks; Nestlé Purina plans $100M factory expansion in Guanajuato; and Ryder adds major warehouse, yard capacity in northern Mexico.
As I-35 traffic worsens, SH 130 courts cross-border trucks
As congestion worsens along Interstate 35 and cross-border trade with Mexico continues to expand, SH 130 Concession Co. is intensifying efforts to attract more commercial trucks onto its 41-mile tolled stretch of State Highway 130 between Austin and San Antonio.
Company executives say SH 130 is increasingly positioned as a freight reliever to I-35, one of the most congested highway corridors in Texas, offering truckers more reliable travel times, safety advantages and new infrastructure aimed specifically at long-haul and cross-border carriers.
“SH 130 serves as a freight corridor and a reliever to I-35,” Ananth Prasad, CEO of SH 130 Concession Co., said in an interview with FreightWaves. “As construction activity on I-35 continues for years to come, having a parallel, congestion-free facility becomes even more important for trucks moving through Central Texas.”
Truck volumes already rising
Truck traffic on SH 130 has already been climbing sharply. More than 3 million commercial trucks used the toll road in 2022, up 26% year over year, with tractor-trailer traffic increasing 68% since 2019, according to prior company data.
Volumes continued to rise in 2023, with commercial truck transactions increasing another 9.5% year over year to about 3.5 million.
SH 130 operates the southern 41 miles of the 91-mile highway, running from southeast of Austin to Seguin. The road bypasses the most congested portions of I-35 through Austin and parts of San Antonio — congestion that Prasad said can add up to an hour or more to truck trips during peak periods.
“In peak northbound or southbound periods, trucks can save 30 minutes to an hour by using SH 130 instead of I-35,” Prasad said.
Targeting cross-border freight
The company’s push comes as Texas — and especially the I-35/Laredo corridor — remains central to U.S.–Mexico trade. Laredo is the busiest inland port in the United States, and most northbound freight from the border flows through San Antonio and Austin on its way to Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond.
SH 130 executives say the toll road offers a cleaner north-south routing option for carriers hauling freight from Mexico to major U.S. distribution hubs while avoiding bottlenecks through Austin — a city expected to face years of additional traffic disruption as I-35 reconstruction projects intensify.
“This corridor is going to continue growing regardless of tariffs or short-term volatility,” Prasad said. “The long-term fundamentals for U.S.–Mexico trade and nearshoring are still very strong.”
Incentives, parking and reliability
To further lure trucks off I-35, SH 130 is expanding incentive programs, including toll rebates for high-volume users, and exploring fixed-cost or subscription-style toll structures for large fleets.
The company is also investing in truck-specific infrastructure, including a planned truck stop and parking facility in Caldwell County that would add more than 100 truck parking spaces, showers and amenities — addressing one of the biggest pain points for long-haul drivers
Future plans include multiple truck parking locations along the corridor, as well as electronic signage showing real-time parking availability and travel-time savings for trucks approaching the roadway.
“Truck parking is a huge issue nationally,” Prasad said. “If we can show drivers not only time savings, but certainty about where they can safely park, that becomes a natural draw to this corridor.”
Betting on long-term capacity
While truck volumes are rising, SH 130 still has significant unused capacity, operating at roughly one-third utilization, according to Prasad.
The roadway was originally built ahead of population and freight growth in Central Texas, a bet that now appears increasingly well-timed as Austin and San Antonio edge closer to becoming a single megaregion.
“Our metric is market share,” Prasad said. “How much freight can we responsibly shift off I-35 and onto SH 130 in a way that makes financial sense for carriers?”
With years of I-35 construction ahead and cross-border truck traffic continuing to climb, SH 130 officials believe more carriers will conclude that paying a toll is a worthwhile trade-off for reliability, safety and time — especially for repeat routes between Mexico and the U.S.
Nestlé Purina plans $100M factory expansion in Guanajuato
Nestlé Purina PetCare plans to invest $100 million to expand its pet food manufacturing facility in Silao, deepening its production footprint in central Mexico as regional demand for pet food continues to rise.
The expansion, scheduled for 2026–2027, will increase production capacity for both dry and wet pet food at the Silao plant, which is already one of Purina’s largest manufacturing hubs in Latin America, according to PetFoodIndustry.com.
Since opening in 2015, the Silao facility has become a cornerstone of Purina’s Latin American operations. With the new investment, Purina’s total capital deployed in Guanajuato will reach about $700 million, underscoring the state’s importance to the company’s long-term manufacturing and supply chain strategy.
Ryder adds major warehouse, yard capacity in northern Mexico
Ryder System Inc. (NYSE: R) has opened a new warehousing and distribution complex in Monterrey, Mexico, expanding its logistics footprint as nearshoring and cross-border demand continue to accelerate.
The new facility adds about 581,000 square feet to Ryder’s largest logistics hub in Mexico and marks the company’s sixth facility in Nuevo León, according to T21.
Ryder said the site has capacity to receive and dispatch up to 100 cargo units per day and meets international security and trade compliance standards, including CTPAT, AEO and IMMEX certifications, supporting cross-border flows between Mexico and the U.S.
The post Borderlands Mexico: As I-35 traffic worsens, SH 130 courts cross-border trucks appeared first on FreightWaves.
