Trump Approves 165-Mile Autonomous Freight System To Streamline U.S.-Mexico Trade
President Donald Trump has issued a permit to build a $10B freight system on the Texas border.
The 165-mile guideway, to be built by Texas-based Green Corridors, would allow autonomous shuttles to travel between Laredo, Texas, and Monterrey, Mexico. Four cross-border terminals spanning 100 acres each would be constructed to support the corridor, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The shuttles would be diesel-electric hybrid vehicles. After arriving at a terminal, the goods would be offloaded onto trailers for trucks to deliver elsewhere.
Under the permit, which Trump issued June 9, the company would construct, maintain and operate the border crossing. If construction doesn't start within five years, the permit will expire.
But Green Corridors still must pass other logistical hurdles — including securing permits from the Mexican government, obtaining the land and partnering with developers — before it can begin construction.
The company said the guideway would help alleviate congestion on the border, especially as manufacturing operations have mushroomed in the area in recent years. More than 3 million trucks passed through the Port of Laredo to enter the U.S. last year, up 28% from 2019, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data cited by the WSJ.
The two bridges in the area have an average wait time of about 45 minutes on a weekday afternoon, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. Infrastructure projects to expand the bridges and build another are underway.
The permit has been issued despite Trump’s tariff policies, which have paused or delayed the construction of certain projects in many parts of the country.
In Texas, tariffs have pushed companies to onshore operations, which has allowed the region’s industrial developers to reap the benefits of those migrating across the border.
Overall, trade between Texas and Mexico generates more than $471B in gross domestic product annually for Texas alone, according to The Perryman Group. The Texas government expects that cross-border trade will generate more than 10.9 million jobs and contribute $604.5B in GDP by 2050.
