b'JULY 2024USMCA TRADE7(HEATINGcontinued fromcleartruckloads.Combined page 6) with RFID tags and IoT-sen-at $4 billion in 2024, and issors,theso-calledcrossing expected to reach $6 billion bynotices will allow trucks to 2029, growing at a CAGR ofdrivedirectlythroughports 12.4%, according to an analy- of entry.sis by Mordor Intelligence. Mendozaishopefulthe Thecross-bordertradeisnew technology will stream-dominated by fresh and frozenline congestion. produce(avocados,tomatoes,We are leveraging tech-cucumbersandbellpeppersnologies powered by 5G and leadtheway)shippednorththeInternetof Things(IoT) fromMexicowhilebeef,to improve temperature mon-dairy, chicken, and pork travelitoring and optimize our pro-southboundfromtheUnitedcesses. Temperature sensors, States.AlthoughcommerceRFID devices, and telematic has slowed a bit in 2024, sev- toolsarebeingutilizedin eral trade records on both sidesboth cold storage warehouses were set in 2022 and 2023. Forandtransportationvehicles,thatwillaffectdelaysandnews,andmoreseriousforthe Midwest to Mexico. Not example,in2022,bolsteredensuringsaferproductsandreducetheavailabilityofoperators, he said. longafter,CPKCpartnered bythestrongpeso,Mexicofaster transit times. he said.heavytrucksfortransport.with Americold Realty Trust became the largest dairy exportMendoza said other fac- Inaddition,ahugegapi nTermodalo PTion to co-locate Americold ware-marketforU.S.farmerswithtorsaffectingcapacityandbetween young and old driv- Intermodaltransportishouse facilities on the CPKC $2.5billionworthofproductefficiencyincludedriverersisgrowing.Onereasonan emerging option for cross- network. The first facility in exchanging hands. shortages in Mexico and thewe believe that there are noborder trade.One year ago,KansasCity,Mo.isunder Date,aClearwater,FL- United States.newdriversisbecauseofCanadian Pacific Kansas Cityconstruction and expected to based supply chain manage- InMexicoalone,theretheincreaseininsecurityin(CPKC)unveiledMMX,abecompletedwithinayear. ment solutions provider, saidwill be a shortfall of 54,000the country, it is increasinglysingle-line rail service offer- (HEATINGcontinued on in a recent report the COVID- driversby2023,anissuecommon to hear this type ofing refrigerated shipping frompage 8)19crisisexposedtheweak-nessesoftheU.S.-Mexico cold chain and forced market discipline. Notonlydidcold chainsfacechallengessuch asvaccinemandates,inven-toryfluctuations,andlabor shortages, but also the increased demand for cold storage ware-housing. This created a perfect stormthatresultedincold chaincompaniesmodern-izingprocessestocombat disruptionsandpropelthe industry forward. o n TheB orderJoseph Mendiola, VP of Business Attraction & Reten-tion at the Laredo Economic Development Corp., said border cities such as Laredo, TX are benefitting big time.Lastyear,Mendiolasaid the Port of Laredo outpaced Los Angeles,Chicago,andNew Yorkandisnowthenumber oneportintheUnitedStates basedontradevalue.Major companiessuchasMission Produce,U.S.ColdStorage, MastronardiProduce,Fresh Farm,andLineageLogistics haveallhelpedcreateacold chain cluster, he said. Mendiolasaidthestra-tegic location of Port Laredo nearmajorU.S.andMexi-caninterstatehighwaysisa primaryfactorcontributing totheexplosivecoldchain growth. He said Mexican avo-cadosplayahugepart.The fruit, which is grown mainly in the states of Michoacan and Jalisco, is in high demand in the U.S. and Canada.Withexpansioncomes congestionandinthecase of Mexico-U.S. trade, border congestionisawayoflife. Border users including refrig-eratedshippersarenow focusedonhowtoalleviate truck gridlock at many of the biggest ports of entry.TheNationalCustoms Agency of Mexico has imple-mented a cloud-based system thatutilizestechnologyto'