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Heavy equipment is a challenge to ship, especially when it’s crossing international borders, such as traveling to Mexico. There are numerous regulatory and safety considerations you’ll have to follow. Before shipping your cargo over the border, you’ll need to get familiar with some essential information.
Key takeaways:
I’ll guide you through the preparations you’ll need to make when shipping heavy equipment to Mexico from the U.S.
Table of Contents
Before we break down the processes involved with moving these large commodities from the U.S. to Mexico, we should start by comparing and contrasting the terms ‘heavy equipment’ and ‘machinery’.
In practice, it’s common for people to use heavy equipment and machinery interchangeably. While it’s true that a great deal of machinery qualifies as heavy equipment, for the purposes of commodity classification via the Harmonized Schedule, machinery covers a wide variety of goods.
To illustrate how varied machinery can be, let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of machinery Mexico exports to the United States.
| Four-Digit HS Code | Commodities Described | Value of Exports From Mexico in USD |
| 8471 | Automatic Data Processing Machines | $27.7 billion |
| 8407 | Spark-Ignition Internal Combustion Piston Engines | $3.45 billion |
| 8408 | Compression-Ignition Internal Combustion Engines (Diesels) | $1.72 billion |
| 8409 | Parts for Engines Under 8407 and 8408 | $3.8 billion |
| 8421 | Hydraulic Turbines, Water Wheels | $4 billion |
| 8481 | Taps, Valves, and Similar Appliances for Pipes, Tanks, and the Like | $3.2 billion |
As you can see, machinery can cover everything from relatively small household staples to massive hydraulic turbines requiring heavy haul permits.
By contrast, heavy equipment, (which is also machinery), usually refers to bulldozers, excavators, graders, and other commodities used for the purposes of large-scale construction. Most heavy equipment is categorized under the four-digit HS code 8429.
Given the sheer size and weight of these goods, they will often require carriers to adhere to over dimensional hauling regulations. These regulations can vary in the U.S. from one state to another, but are largely consistent within Mexico itself.
If you plan to ship heavy equipment from the U.S. into Mexico, you’ll need to be aware of the permits, restrictions, and guidelines associated with the process on both sides of the border.
For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on anything that may be considered over-dimensional freight, meaning it is heavier, longer, or wider than standard shipments. These products are frequently transported in open-deck situations or in trailers otherwise designed to handle increased weight.
This includes certain types of heavy machinery, as well as various construction materials or manufactured items that cannot otherwise be broken down into smaller components.
Related: A Guide on Shipping Freight to Mexico
No matter where in the United States your shipment originates from, it is going to end up crossing the border in from one of the 19 cities either California, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas.
With so many possibilities, it’s important to know what channels you can ship your heavy haul equipment through. Many of the major North America gateways to cross the border into Mexico can accommodate shipping heavy equipment.
I’ve provided a shortlist of cities in the U.S. and Mexico that commonly ship heavy freight between one another. This will help give you some ideas on what channels you can use to move your oversized cargo.
Texas:
New Mexico:
Arizona:
California:
Once you’ve figured out what point of entry makes the most sense for your Mexican imports, it’s time to look at what you’ll have to have in place before shipping.
According to U.S. federal law, there are also restrictions on weight per-axle. The requirements for these will vary by state, so make sure to check the regulations for each one your oversized cargo will travel through.
Keep in mind that U.S. and Mexican regulations differ. Rules you have to follow in one place may not apply in the other.
Related: Mexico to US Heavy Haul
Due to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), heavy machinery or equipment made in the U.S. is not subject to any tariffs. In Mexico, USMCA is referred to as Tratado entre Mexico, Estados Unidos y Canada (T-MEC).
If the equipment or machinery was manufactured somewhere other than the United States or Canada, tariffs would be assessed. For this reason, Mexican buyers can save money when importing American or Canadian-made equipment, rather than buying from a non-USMCA country.
When you ship heavy equipment to Mexico, you’ll need to be aware of the U.S.’s export requirements and Mexico’s import requirements. Following these guidelines correctly will ensure your goods can leave the country and enter Mexico without incident.
To ensure your goods can leave the country, you’ll be responsible for filing the correct paperwork and making sure your equipment is ready to be shipped.
Customs clearance is one of the biggest hurdles a company will encounter. As with any other items one would ship to Mexico, basic import and export documents are required:
A USMCA certificate of origin will only be necessary if your buyer in Mexico is applying for preferential tariff treatment. Therefore, you should find out if your buyer will require this document before shipping your goods.
The Mexican Entry Form is a tax receipt that proves all necessary taxes on freight have been paid and can enter the country. As a result, the Pedimento Aduanal is an essential document that your buyer must have.
While these two documents are extremely important when shipping heavy equipment to Mexico, they are by no means the only ones. You may need to include additional paperwork depending on the specifics of your shipment.
Next, you will need a Mexican customs broker to facilitate the importation and a Mexican business as a registered buyer to prove your intent. A U.S. carrier will be required to get the shipment to the border. Once there, the freight will be handed off to a Mexican shipper because only a very small amount of U.S. companies are allowed to transport within Mexico.
Your customers in Mexico are responsible for following the import requirements of their country. That said, there are certain steps you can take to ensure the movement of your goods over the border goes smoothly.
For one, you can communicate the weight and dimensions of your heavy equipment before sending it to your buyer in Mexico. The dimensional and weight regulations for cargo in Mexico allows for heavier and larger freight than in the United States.
These measures are best communicated after being changed to Metric units, the official system of weights and measures used by Mexico
There’s a chance the freight you ship might not qualify has heavy or oversized in Mexico. If your buyer knows the weight and dimensions of the equipment beforehand, they can determine if they’ll need to obtain necessary permits.
When moving heavy equipment through the U.S. to Mexico, you’ll need access to trailers that can accommodate their size and weight. Fortunately, there’s an assortment of trailers that you can use to move your cargo.
This includes:
You’ll need to carefully search for carriers in the U.S. and Mexico that have the equipment needed to move your cargo.
When you’re shipping heavy equipment to Mexico, you’ll want to make sure it’s loaded and secured correctly. This will ensure the safety of the cargo for the duration of the journey.
There are two specific ways heavy equipment can be loaded:
Most flatbed trailers come with a ramp that heavy equipment can be driven onto. This makes the loading process extremely easy and fast. If a ramp isn’t available, a crane can be used to lift the cargo and gently lower it onto the trailer.
Even if your freight is heavy and difficult to move, you’ll need to make sure it’s secured to the trailer before you ship it. This can be done using different types of equipment.
Your heavy equipment will need to be tied down at critical points to ensure it doesn’t move while in transit. The exact placement will vary based on the size of your freight and how much space it takes up on the trailer.
This may need to be done twice if freight ends up getting transloaded from one trailer to another during Customs processing at the border. Working with a logistics company that handles cross-border transload needs increases the odds of success.
You’ll need to know the run times and holiday restrictions for oversized freight in the U.S. and Mexico. In the U.S., oversized transport is typically restricted to daylight hours on state roads and highways, Monday through Friday.
Transport of heavy equipment on Saturdays and Sundays may either be restricted or prohibited altogether. Run times can also vary based on the size of your shipment. For example, some states may prefer to move maximum width loads at night when there’s little to no traffic.
Oversized or overweight cargo that’s traveling on an interstate may be exempt from run time restrictions. Most states will prohibit the transport of heavy equipment on major U.S. holidays.
The holidays they typically recognize includes:
Mexico also has running hours and holiday restrictions for heavy equipment. The Secretaria de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCIT) is responsible for overseeing these regulations.
Unfortunately, accessing these rules online is difficult. At Mexico Cross Border Freight, we have skilled logistics professionals that can show you the applicable running times and holiday restrictions placed on your heavy equipment.
Related: Mexico To U.S. Trucking Companies
Route planning is an important part of shipping heavy equipment from the U.S. to Mexico, as transporting heavy equipment is more difficult than average cargo.
You’ll have to account for these factors:
Planning your route is especially significant when your oversized shipment reaches Mexico. According to the World Economic Forum (WEC), the road conditions in the country have a rank of 4.13 out of seven.
Some roads in the Mexico are in great condition, while others can be extremely dangerous to traverse. Therefore, it’s essential to carefully review the route your cargo will travel before shipping it below the border.
It also means you must carefully vet your intra-Mexico carrier options (if this is your responsibility), as they will be handling the final delivery of the equipment from the border into the interior of the country.
Once you’ve decided to ship your heavy equipment, let Mexico Cross Border Freight Logistics handle all your transportation needs. R+L Global Logistics is a third-party logistics company linking businesses with transportation for over 30 years. Our customers also enjoy a 99.5% on-time delivery rate and real-time tracking for their freight.
Other services you’ll enjoy include:
We offer a variety of services to support the supply chain of our customers, all backed by great customer service to give you confidence during the import process. Contact us at (866) 335-0495 to get started, or fill out a Mexico cross border freight quote today and see how R+L Global Logistics can fully support your business’ success.
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