Averitt has finished a significant buildout of its San Antonio complex along the I-35 corridor, adding an 85,000-square-foot distribution and fulfillment warehouse tied directly into an expanded cross-dock and new on-site maintenance capacity. Company leaders frame the project as a response to customers shifting production to Mexico and routing more freight through South and Central Texas, positioning San Antonio as a high-velocity staging point north of the border.
The timing matters. As of November 1, the United States began assessing a 25% tariff on imported medium- and heavy-duty trucks and key components, with a 10% duty on buses. For North American platforms that qualify under USMCA, the new 25% charge applies only to the non‑U.S. content — a carve‑out that softens the initial blow for fleets sourcing equipment tied to regional supply chains. Even so, procurement and replacement cycles are likely to get more complicated and costly, particularly for units or kits that fall outside the content rules or for categories not covered by the carve‑out.
For carriers and shippers using the Texas–Mexico gateway, Averitt’s added doors, warehouse space and shop support in San Antonio can function as a tariff- and compliance‑aware buffer. Shifting cross‑border flows into a larger inland node gives operators room to: consolidate LTL and e‑commerce returns, sequence outbound moves to line up with customs processing, and reconfigure loads around equipment availability as the tariff regime ripples through OEM build schedules and dealer inventories. In short, more doors and more floor space create optionality when trade policy introduces friction.
Expect San Antonio’s role to keep growing as nearshoring ramps. Manufacturers adding capacity in northern and central Mexico want rapid access to U.S. distribution lanes without living in border-congestion risk. A larger cross‑dock and connected fulfillment footprint in San Antonio lets shippers stage volume away from bridge bottlenecks, while still same‑day close to Laredo. That mix — speed, redundancy, and labor access — is why mid‑Texas hubs are attracting more cross‑border contract freight and LTL consolidations tied to automotive, appliances, consumer goods and industrials.
Local operating conditions also nudged a bit more favorable this weekend in the border capital. In Laredo, the city’s El Metro transit strike ended on November 1 following an agreement with Teamsters Local 657, restoring full service. While not a freight operation, a functioning transit system helps the broader labor market — mechanics, warehouse staff, drayage clerks — get to and from work, reducing a layer of uncertainty for cross‑border logistics providers during peak season.
What to watch next for trucking: (1) equipment strategy under the new tariffs — fleets will have incentives to favor USMCA‑compliant trucks and parts or extend life cycles while pricing resets; (2) orderbook timing as OEMs and dealers sort through the content‑valuation process; and (3) continued inland capacity builds like Averitt’s that give shippers alternatives to border‑adjacent congestion and more levers to manage compliance and cost. The nearshoring thesis hinges on time certainty; assets and footprints that shorten the “Mexico plant to U.S. door” interval will win share in 2026 and beyond.
Sources: FreightWaves, Benesch, JDSupra, Laredo Morning Times
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