Efforts by companies and policymakers to bring manufacturing back to the United States through reshoring, or to relocate production closer to U.S. borders through nearshoring, are expected to generate additional trucking activity across North America in the years ahead, according to freight industry experts. Some transportation providers are already adjusting their networks in anticipation of those shifts.
Third-party logistics provider C.H. Robinson and less-than-truckload carrier XPO have both expanded services and warehouse capacity to support customers operating in Mexico that are either shipping to the U.S. or preparing to do so. Still, the increase in freight volumes is unlikely to happen overnight. Jay Cornmesser, vice president of Mexico cross-border services at C.H. Robinson, emphasized that nearshoring and reshoring initiatives require patience, explaining that it typically takes three to five years for operations to become fully established.
Cornmesser said companies pursuing nearshoring strategies are investing in new sourcing hierarchies that rely more heavily on politically aligned countries with favorable tariff structures. He described the process as a reassessment of where products originate, whether raw materials or finished goods. Because these shifts are occurring gradually, he noted that the resulting impact on trucking demand will likely be distributed over time rather than arriving in a single surge. Manufacturing, he added, is only one component of a broader supply chain transformation.
To support growing cross-border activity, C.H. Robinson launched a new service in September that combines freight consolidation in Mexico with cross-border transportation, customs brokerage, bonded warehousing, and a carrier network that uses AI-optimized delivery across the U.S. and Canada. The company also expanded its physical footprint, adding more than 450,000 square feet of warehousing and cross-docking space in El Paso, Texas, near Mexico’s leading export state of Chihuahua.
According to Cornmesser, exports from Chihuahua rose 35% during the first half of 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, based on data from Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography. He said the freight moving through the region is largely high-tech, though healthcare and automotive shipments are also part of the mix. Cornmesser added that cross-border freight volumes along the Texas border are growing significantly and are expected to continue doing so, with Laredo remaining the primary U.S.-Mexico crossing point. He also pointed to increased freight activity at Eagle Pass, Texas, roughly 125 miles northwest of Laredo.
XPO executives see similar momentum. Tony Graham, president of the company’s west division, said manufacturers are moving production closer to home not only because of tariffs, but also to reduce geopolitical risk, simplify supply chains, and capitalize on state and federal incentives. Taken together, Graham said, those factors represent tailwinds for the LTL industry, and he expects reshoring and nearshoring trends to persist.
In 2024, XPO introduced XPO Mexico+, expanding capacity, destinations, and border crossings while offering real-time shipment visibility, bilingual customer support, online pricing, and single-invoice billing. Graham said domestic manufacturing growth directly supports U.S. trucking demand, since both inbound raw materials and outbound finished goods must move on American roads.
He noted that LTL carriers are particularly well-positioned to benefit from a resurgence in U.S. manufacturing. While international and cross-border freight often relies on full truckload or intermodal moves, domestic production creates more frequent, smaller shipments. Graham explained that manufacturers want efficient inbound flows of materials and fast outbound delivery to customers, which increases LTL activity in both directions.
Manufacturing growth has not been evenly distributed across the country, Graham said, with much of the expansion concentrated in the Southeast and Midwest. Industries such as semiconductors and electric vehicles have driven much of that growth, supported by federal legislation and tariff policies. Freight patterns mirror those developments, he added, with rising LTL demand in states such as Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Texas. To keep pace, XPO has expanded capacity and opened new service centers in those states over the past two years, supporting cross-border LTL shipments from industries including heavy machinery, appliances, and automotive parts.
Most of XPO’s cross-border freight moves northbound from Mexico’s so-called Golden Triangle, which links Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City. The majority of those shipments cross through Laredo, the busiest truck port between the two countries and home to one of XPO’s largest service centers. In response to rising volumes, XPO also opened a new service center in Nogales, Arizona, in 2024.
Industry executives say the broader trade shift has been building for years. Jorge Martinez Madero, CEO of Fultra, the parent company of East Trailers and Fruehauf, said the nearshoring and reshoring movement gained traction during the first Trump administration as companies began decoupling from China. He added that the second Trump administration has taken a more direct approach to reconfiguring trade flows in an effort to maintain long-term regional competitiveness.
Madero emphasized that capital expenditures tied to nearshoring and reshoring generate freight demand well before factories begin full production. He described the sequence as starting with construction materials, followed by equipment and parts, and eventually finished goods. Trucking, he said, benefits from capital investment throughout North America, which he views as a single integrated region.
He also stressed that U.S.-Mexico trade policy will play a critical role in streamlining processes such as certificates of origin and mitigating tariff impacts. According to Madero, simplifying those systems is essential because the current framework is overly complex. He added that reshoring will alter domestic trucking patterns, making them more lane-specific and dependent on product type, while noting that intermodal rail will also benefit from freight moving north from Mexico.
Chris Olson, president and CEO of East Trailers, said increasing demand for raw material movements tied to infrastructure development for industrial parks and factories is already building. He expects those dynamics to translate into increased trucking activity by the second half of the year, anticipating a noticeable spike.
East Trailers and Fultra are also adapting their own manufacturing strategies. Olson said the company currently produces some products in the United States and others in Mexico, but plans to bring additional manufacturing stateside because transportation equipment is large and costly to ship once completed. To reduce expenses, he said production must be located closer to where the equipment will be used.
Rather than relocating existing operations, East Trailers plans to replicate its manufacturing capabilities in the U.S. Olson explained that the company’s trailer designs are protected by patents developed in Mexico, and that intellectual property can be transferred at no cost. The strategy involves hiring U.S. workers, expanding facilities through U.S.-based contractors, and producing equipment in the U.S. that has already proven itself in the Mexican market.
Because Mexico’s road conditions are particularly demanding, Olson said trailers manufactured there are built to be more durable. Bringing that level of durability to the U.S. market, he said, offers customers additional value by extending the usable life of transportation equipment.
