Before leading a freight transport company, Pedro Lozano learned the business from behind the wheel of a truck. Although his professional background was in mechatronics engineering, he decided to become a driver, an experience that marked the beginning of what is now Mega Express , a company with a fleet of nearly 150 vehicles and a presence on the border between Mexico and the United States .
Founded in November 2009, the company began operations with a focus on international transportation, an activity it maintains to this day through door-to – door services from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, to various destinations in the United States.
In an interview with T21, Pedro Lozano , CEO of Mega Express, explained that one of the moments that marked the company’s growth occurred approximately 11 years ago, when he began a business relationship with a client that currently represents about 60% of its operation.
Beyond the volume of cargo, this relationship allowed the company to become involved in its client’s logistics solutions and build a commercial stability that has helped sustain its investments.
According to Lozano, the relationship also involves annual financial evaluations by the client , whose objective is to verify the economic stability of the suppliers that participate in its supply chain.
This dynamic, he explained, has allowed them to establish long-term commercial agreements and allocate resources to strengthening their services .
As part of its evolution, the company has incorporated technological tools aimed at the automated tracking of units and the use of artificial intelligence to improve its services.
Shortage of operators, an outstanding challenge
The availability of operators continues to be one of the challenges for freight transport , particularly in cross-border operations , where service demands and working conditions also influence the activity.
For Pedro Lozano, meeting the needs of the operators is part of the responsibilities of transport companies.
In the case of Mega Express, he explained that resources have been allocated to facilities in Dallas and Laredo, Texas, as well as in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, where they have dormitories, sanitary services and, in some cases, recreational areas for the operators .
However, the challenge is not limited to the conditions of those currently working in the sector, but also to the incorporation of new generations.
In that sense, it is necessary to promote the training of operators and show young people the economic opportunities that this activity offers, Lozano considered.
The performance of cross-border road transport is also subject to external factors that can modify costs and demand for services .
Lozano acknowledged that the last few years have been marked by ups and downs and pointed out that variations in fuel prices in the United States represent a pressure for transport companies.
While there are mechanisms to adjust fuel surcharge rates , the increases can also affect cargo volumes, he explained.
Added to this scenario are tariff changes and geopolitical tensions , factors which, from their perspective, could cause a contraction in the trucking industry.
On the northern border, another challenge lies in customs operations . Lozano pointed out that digitization processes have caused intermittent system outages, forcing carriers to adjust their crossing schedules.
At Mega Express, one of the measures involves scheduling the departure of units during off-peak hours, either early in the morning or at night, to reduce exposure to lines at border crossings.
Despite these difficulties, the businessman anticipated changes in the distribution of logistics operations between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, particularly due to the new requirements applicable to operators and the possibility that more storage and distribution activities will be developed on the Mexican side.
For Mega Express, these conditions pose the challenge of sustaining its cross-border operations in a market where costs, operator availability, and crossing times depend on factors that companies cannot always control.
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Karina Quintero / @GrupoT21
