Call Center Company in Laredo, TX

Today, Kuehne+Nagel, a global logistics company, announced the opening of a new Road Logistics facility in Laredo, Texas. The 432,000 sq. ft. site consolidates three existing cross-docks into one, doubling capacity at the United States-Mexico border. Strategically located, the new Laredo site will help customers manage nearshoring complexities, a trend that persists despite current uncertainties.

The new site includes 200 trailer parking stalls, 115 dock doors and two drive-in doors for cross-docking, warehousing, transloading and storage. The site includes a 17,500 sq. ft. Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), offering services to manage customs duties and taxes for cost efficiency. The facility will support the increased needs of customers in moving goods north and southbound over the border of Mexico and the United States.

According to Nathan Thomas, Regional Vice President for the Central Area at Kuehne+Nagel U.S., the new site which will be fully operational in mid-April 2025, enhances Kuehne+Nagel’s network at the U.S.-Mexico border, providing customers more capacity and space for freight movement.

"We are committed to helping customers harness the full potential of the global nearshoring trend and to serving the cross-border market as part of our growth strategy," said Thomas. "Despite current challenges in global trade, we are confident nearshoring will continue, as it helps customers enhance supply chain resilience, reduces costs, and speeds up distribution. Kuehne+Nagel’s strong network of strategically located assets, robust trucking network, expert services and customs expertise ensures our customers’ goods reach their destination in full compliance, interruption-free and on time."

About Kuehne+Nagel

With approximately 80,000 employees at almost 1,300 sites in close to 100 countries, the Kuehne+Nagel Group is one of the world's leading logistics providers. Headquartered in Switzerland, Kuehne+Nagel is listed in the Swiss blue-chip stock market index, the SMI. The Group is the global number one in air and sea logistics and has strong market positions in road and contract logistics. Kuehne+Nagel is the logistics partner of choice for 400,000 customers worldwide. Using its global network, logistics expertise and data-based insights, the Group provides end-to-end supply chain solutions for global companies and industries.

Home/News/Business/How Laredo, Texas, manages high-volume trade as the No. 1 port of entry into the US

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World Trade Bridge streamlines North American border customs and trade

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the World Trade Bridge has been a cornerstone of North American trade. Since its construction, the bridge has significantly enhanced the speed and efficiency of cross-border commerce.

Kent Richard, interim bridge director for the City of Laredo, sat down with Timothy Dooner and shared insights about Laredo’s thriving logistics industry and ambitious infrastructure plans.

“The greatest contribution of the World Trade Bridge lies in streamlining the supply chain,” Richard said. “We provide a dedicated commercial corridor that facilitates the movement of high-volume goods, raw materials, and just-in-time shipments,” he said.

Over the past 25 years, the World Trade Bridge has strengthened North America’s integrated production networks, particularly in key industries such as automotive, electronics, and perishables, ensuring that manufacturers receive components on time and businesses operate with minimal disruption.

With tariff policy changes on the horizon, Richard is confident that Port Laredo and the World Trade Bridge will continue to see the same volume, if not more. “Tariffs will affect everyone, not just Laredo, Texas,” Richard said.

Due to the increasing trade volume and enhanced efficiency, the World Trade Bridge will remain a vital point of cross-border commerce regardless of policy. The current expansion of the bridge crossing, which started in 2024, is set to improve intermodal connectivity and allow for higher volumes of traffic.

“Tariff policies can influence trade flows in the short term, while in the long term there will be demand for a robust border infrastructure,” Richard said. “As of now, it remains unchanged. Given Port Laredo’s role as the number one port in the United States, federal and state governments along with private stakeholders all recognize the necessity of our ongoing expansion,” he said.

According to Richard, investments in infrastructure and automation, as well as security enhancements, will ensure that Port Laredo remains a critical hub for North American trade regardless of shifting trade policies.

One of the primary reasons that Port Laredo has become the dominant trade port of North America is its utilization of state-of-the-art refrigerated inspection facilities.

“The fact that we enable the cold chain to remain unbroken from origin to destination is immensely important to North American trade,” Richard said. “It’s precisely why Port Laredo stands out as the premier gateway for temperature-sensitive shipments.”

The refrigerated inspection facilities at the World Trade Bridge are key to allowing temperature-sensitive goods through the border.

“We have three of those facilities at our two commercial bridges, which is quite unique to the Texas-Mexico border,” Richard said. “These specialized docks allow trucks to back up directly into a temperature-controlled environment, preventing exposure to external conditions during inspection.”

This cold chain process is essential for industries like pharmaceuticals, fresh produce and perishable food products, and it enables carriers to stay in compliance with safety regulations.

By eliminating any temperature fluctuations, Port Laredo helps reduce spoilage, extends shelf life of transported goods, and delivers high-quality goods to businesses and consumers across North America. “That kind of reliability makes Port Laredo the preferred choice for companies that depend on cold chain logistics,” Richard said.

Many commercial and noncommercial vehicles are assembled in Mexico and transported into the United States. Port Laredo plays a vital role in the North American automotive industry by facilitating the rapid movement of vehicles and vehicle parts across the border.

“With a highly efficient customs process specializing in infrastructure and a deep understanding of just-in-time manufacturing requirements, we make sure that automotive supply chains remain uninterrupted,” Richard said. “The port’s ability to handle high volumes of auto-related shipments with precision minimizes production downtime, which reduces costs and helps North American automotive manufacturers compete in the global market,” he said.

On average, 12,000 trailers per day circulate through the border at Laredo. Sometimes, Richard says, inspections even get up to 21,000 trucks per day. Port Laredo has to maintain strong relationships between the customs and border protections agencies in the United States and Mexico as well as private stakeholders.

“We can only achieve coordination with three levels of government in both Mexico and the United States through continuous collaboration, technology integration and well-defined protocols,” Richard said.

By keeping those relationships open, Port Laredo is able to move trusted carriers and goods through the border much more quickly. “Our dedicated fast lane, known as our free and secure trade lane, is for vetted vehicles so they can get to the front of the line and get through,” Richard said.

Officials from Port Laredo have regular meetings with international trade forums and maintain real-time communication with all relevant authorities, and that allows them to continue with rapid response and keep trade industries moving smoothly in and through Laredo.

Birthdays are a great time to celebrate and reflect, but they’re also a great time to look to the future. As cross-border trade continues to grow, Laredo is positioning itself as an indispensable link in global supply chains.

With its ambitious expansion plans and long history as a center of international commerce, the “Gateway to Mexico” seems poised to play an even more prominent role in U.S.-Mexico trade in the years to come.

“In the next 25 years, I envision Port Laredo as the most advanced and efficient port in the world,” Richard said. “With continued investments in infrastructure, smart-border technology and automation, the port aims to handle even greater trade volumes while keeping our robust speed and security standards.”

Sustainability initiatives will make Port Laredo an even more vital link in North America’s supply chain.

“As trade evolves with innovations like electric and autonomous vehicles, Port Laredo will continue to adapt and ensure that it remains the premier gateway for international commerce,” Richard said. “We sure plan to continue to be the number one port in North America over the next 25 years,” he said.

Click here to learn more about Port Laredo.

A Houston-based company is planning to construct a massive 50,000-acre data center hub near Laredo, Texas, dubbed "Data City, Texas."

The facility is set to become "the world’s largest behind-the-meter data center," powered entirely by 100 percent green energy around the clock, according to Energy Abundance Development Corp. The project will be developed in multiple phases, starting with 300 megawatts of power and 1 million square feet of data center space in 2026, eventually expanding to 5 gigawatts of power and over 15 million square feet of leasable space.

Initially, the data centers will run on natural gas produced in Texas, but the company plans to transition to 100 percent green hydrogen sourced from its hydrogen salt dome storage facility in the future. This move aims to address the challenge of securing reliable, low-cost power for large-scale data centers while reducing their environmental impact.

Brian Maxwell, the founder and CEO of Energy Abundance, emphasized that the project will solve one of the biggest challenges faced by hyperscalers—quickly securing massive amounts of affordable, clean power. In the same press release, the company also revealed it had changed its name from Green Hydrogen International Corp. to better reflect its mission.

"Data City solves hyperscalers' biggest hurdle: securing massive low-cost power quickly," Maxwell said in the statement. "Building behind-the-meter is the path to energy abundance—a cornerstone of this landmark project. It's an honor to lead a quintessentially American and Texas endeavor that will power the AI revolution and pave the way to an energy abundant future."

In addition to Data City, the company is also developing a large-scale green energy production and storage hub near Corpus Christi. This project will produce 280,000 tons of green hydrogen and one million tons of green ammonia annually, using a mix of wind and solar power. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with commercial operations expected to start in 2029.

Energy Abundance is one of several Texas companies looking to cash in on the evolving industry of powering data centers in ways that will not overwhelm electricity grids.

Technology developer Last Energy announced plans earlier this month to build 30 micro-nuclear reactors in Haskell County as demand from the state's data centers surged. The nuclear technology company said that it plans to break ground at a 200-acre site in Haskell, a town about 200 miles west of Dallas.

Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp that may soon become a Texas company, struck a deal this year to get its Lone Star State data centers powered. The agreement with Spanish-based renewable energy company Zelestra calls for four solar projects, totaling 595 megawatts (MW), to be constructed in Texas.

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