The 11-acre drop yard site includes offices for several Landstar agents, cross-docks for transloading, interchange inspection facilities, as well as complete amenities for the owner-operators who supply the equipment used to haul Landstar freight. The company said this project has been in development for 2 years.
Jeff Crowe, Landstar’s president, chairman and CEO, said Laredo is at the center of the primary trade route connecting Canada, the U.S. and Mexico and that this new facility will play a key role in accessing that growing trade corridor. Laredo is the only city to operate international bridges between two Mexican states. Truck trailer traffic has increased from approximately 2,500 trailers a day across the city's four bridges to somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 trailers each day. Daily trailer traffic is projected to reach 14,000 in five years.
Landstar said eight of the facility’s 11 acres are paved and have security- lighted enclosures, an eight-bay open cross-dock, and a lounge for Landstar’s owner-operators. The lounge’s amenities include his and her showers, washer-dryer and kitchen facilities and direct TV.
The lounge will also provide Landstar owner-operators with computer access to posted loads on the company’s website along with hookups for their personal laptops. All facilities at the drop yard and in the lounge will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The company also said several of its independent sales agents operating in the Laredo area will relocate to the new facility.