With a history of more than 40 years in the freight transportation industry, Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT) began its journey with a vision of serving the agricultural sector and, therefore, its first movements were made with refrigerated boxes .
In 1994, when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), came into force, the company’s founder and current president, Royal Jones, decided to change the perspective of its infrastructure, and the bet was the movement in dry boxes , to take advantage of the exchange that would occur between Mexico and the United States.
Today, with an infrastructure of more than 1,700 tractor-trailers and more than 7,000 trailers , MVT is more actively involved with companies involved in foreign trade between Mexico and its northern neighbor.
Because of its origins in Las Cruces, New Mexico, its operations were initially focused on the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez region, serving the maquiladora community there, which required attention to the Midwest and East Coast of the United States, recalled Cameron Panther, VP of Sales at MVT.
Just over six years ago, MVT identified that the Laredo, Texas, border was also a space for expansion for the company , so they began operating in this area, expanding their areas of attention in the industries they serve.
“One of the main strategic changes was to concentrate our exchanges with Mexican shipping lines at around 25, all with CTPAT ( Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism ) certifications. The goal is to grow alongside them, offering a business model in which moving an American box is as profitable as moving our own box, while also establishing ourselves as an ally for our Mexican counterparts,” explained Luis Gómez, commercial director for Mexico.
This has allowed the Laredo operation to maintain steady growth, further aided by the availability of its warehouses and the ability to perform cross-dock operations, providing greater operational versatility for customers.
This is also possible thanks to the group’s recent configuration, where MVT Warehousing has increased its available storage areas, but other types of services can also be offered through the logistics division (MVT Logistics) .
With this consolidation, Mesilla has a storage and cross-dock capacity that will reach 850,000 square feet by the end of 2025, between Free Trade Zone areas and locations with railroad spurs in Laredo and El Paso, Texas, for multimodal service in trade between Mexico and the United States.
Configuration for current situation
At the close of the first half of the year, Mexico achieved total trade with the United States of $432.553 billion; this volume consolidated the country’s position as the United States’ largest trading partner, accounting for 15.2% of all trade between Mexico and the world, according to data from the Department of Commerce .
The company’s successful composition allows it to be better prepared to face uncertain and turbulent markets, such as the one it is currently facing due to the economic situation, but also due to the implementation of tariff measures in the United States.
“There’s the challenge of dealing with peak season and how to plan with clients, so you need to be close to schedule, but also to review issues like rates,” Cameron Panther explained.
MVT has ventured into other services, such as dedicated services , where effective operations are beginning to be seen, and the opportunity to expand it into other types of operations is being analyzed.
Luis Gómez identified that one of the key points to achieve sustained growth in his operations is the dynamic of not lasting more than 10 days with the boxes that enter from the south of San Luis Potosí , “this allows us to make between two and three trips per month, and productivity is transferred to all stakeholders, business partners and clients.”
Operation triangles, the route
Headquartered in Las Cruces, New Mexico, MVT has defined an operating model that it has maintained over time, seeking to achieve high efficiency not only with customers but also with operators to reduce turnover among trucking operators.
“The majority of our equipment is located in areas like Arizona, Texas, the Midwest, and California; therefore, we decided to operate in triangles, starting from El Paso with key destinations in California, Denver, and Dallas, from where operators arrive at those locations and return to El Paso,” explained Cameron Panther.
Additionally, there are operations throughout Texas , while routes are operated from El Paso to the Southeast: Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida. “We are developing the dedicated route in Nashville, Ohio,” he added.
“ The triangle model allows us to keep operators from spending as much time away from home . Today in Mesilla, we have just over 1,500 CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) operators, while B1 (foreign operators with a visa to perform driving activities) have more than 450, of which more than 240 are dual-operator operators ,” Luis Gómez emphasized.
One factor Gómez emphasized is that the B1s operated by Mesilla fully comply with current regulations and, in addition, generate a synergy with Mexican transporters, who are responsible for transporting the equipment to Mexico.
“We are loyal and transparent with our Mexican shipping partners. This relationship not only allows us to closely support our customers, but also gives us the opportunity to gain a more accurate understanding of the market and respond quickly to their needs,” Gómez emphasized.
