El Paso, Texas sits at the western tip of the state, facing Ciudad Juarez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua across the Rio Grande. The city has no coastline, but its port status is more unusual than that of most inland points: it is one of the largest land and rail gateways between the United States and Mexico, and the only western node that combines large-scale cross-border rail interchange, cross-border highway bridges and a full-service customs port in one place. For FCL cargo from China, El Paso plays two distinct roles that need to be viewed separately: as a distribution landing point, where containers discharged at a West Coast seaport move in by rail; and as a transfer point in the cross-border supply chain, where cargo flows in both directions between the U.S. and Mexican sides.
El Paso sits at 31 degrees 45 minutes north, 106 degrees 29 minutes west, on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert in the Rio Grande valley, at an elevation of about 1,140 meters. New Mexico lies to the west and north, while Mexico and the Texas interior lie to the south and east. Three interstate corridors meet here.
El Paso's spatial layout has a direct effect on import cargo. The city stretches narrowly along the Rio Grande, with the rail mainline and interstate highways hugging the riverbank and the crossings concentrated downtown and to the southeast. Northwest of the city is Santa Teresa, New Mexico, where Union Pacific's container ramp is located, about 15 miles from downtown El Paso. In practice, the phrase "pick up at El Paso" often means "pick up at Santa Teresa, New Mexico" — the two are in different states. Confirming the landing point at booking stage is the one step that cannot be skipped on this routing.
In the federal port system El Paso is a fully functional land and rail port of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maintains a port here with code 2402, registered as a Service Port, meaning it has the full functions of cargo examination, entry filing, duty collection and verification. It is the district center of Customs District 24 (El Paso), and the field office is also located here.
| Port code | 2402 (El Paso, Texas), registered as a Service Port |
| Customs district | District 24, district center at El Paso, field office located locally |
| CBP office address | Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry, 3600 E. Paisano, El Paso, TX 79905 |
| Contact phone | (915) 730-7000; rail examination (915) 730-7838; foreign-trade zone (915) 730-7650 |
| Commercial clearance hours | Monday to Friday 06:00 to 14:00 (Mountain Time) |
| International location code | UN/LOCODE USELP, used for booking and bills of lading; customs declarations and ACE filings use 2402 |
| Bridges and crossings | Paso del Norte Bridge (24 hours), Bridge of the Americas (24 hours), Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge (24 hours) |
| Rail interchange | Both Union Pacific and BNSF interchange with Mexican operator Ferromex over two Rio Grande rail bridges |
| Neighboring ports in the district | 2401 Ysleta; 2403 Presidio; 2404 Marcelino Serna (formerly Tornillo); 2406 Columbus, NM; 2407 Albuquerque; 2408 Santa Teresa, NM |
| Foreign-trade zone | FTZ 68, grantee City of El Paso, operated by El Paso International Airport |
A set of code relationships needs to be understood in advance, otherwise documents are easily filled in wrong. District 24 has six land ports, all within 200 km of each other, with different functions: 2402 El Paso corresponds to the Bridge of the Americas, with commercial clearance concentrated in the morning; 2401 Ysleta has its own port code, commercial clearance running to midnight and open Saturday mornings, a fallback when local loading time runs long; 2408 Santa Teresa, New Mexico has the longest clearance window, up to 8 p.m., and handles all vehicle export formalities; 2406 Columbus, New Mexico and 2403 Presidio serve the farther eastern and western flanks; 2404 Marcelino Serna (formerly the Tornillo port) serves new freight flows to the southeast. FCL cargo from China usually uses 2402 or 2408 — the former downtown, the latter beside the Santa Teresa ramp.
Between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez there are three highway bridges and two rail crossings. Understanding how they divide the work is a precondition for judging whether cargo can cross as planned.
| Channel | Type | Location and hours |
| Paso del Norte Bridge | Road bridge | Downtown, passenger and cargo channel, open 24 hours |
| Bridge of the Americas | Road bridge | Southeast of downtown, home of port code 2402; truck lanes open 24 hours, commercial examination weekdays 06:00 to 14:00 |
| Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge | Road bridge | Southeast side, port code 2401; commercial examination weekdays 06:00 to 24:00, Saturday 06:00 to 14:00 |
| Union Pacific rail crossing | Rail bridge | Interchanges with Ferromex on the Mexican side; CBP rail examination 24 hours Monday to Friday, 16:00 to 08:00 on weekends |
| BNSF rail crossing | Rail bridge | A separate rail crossing, also interchanging with Ferromex on the Mexican side |
| Santa Teresa, New Mexico | Land port | Port code 2408; commercial examination weekdays 06:00 to 20:00; all vehicle export formalities handled here; heavy-truck area for overweight container transfer |
The division of labor between the channels shows up in three practical differences. First is the clearance window: 2402's commercial examination ends at 2 p.m., and if the day's inbound queue fills, trucks are pushed to the next day — a common cause of long local loading times; 2401 and 2408 have longer windows and can serve as alternatives. Second, vehicle export formalities are centralized: any documentation requiring vehicle export is not processed at 2402 but at Santa Teresa port 2408, and going to the wrong port means a wasted trip. Third is the timing of rail interchange: weekend rail examination covers only night hours, so if a cross-border train arrives on a Saturday or Sunday daytime, release rolls to the night. Only when these three items are matched to the schedule is the cross-border segment fully planned.
El Paso's container rail landing point needs special explanation: Union Pacific moved its intermodal operation out of the city in 2014 and built a ramp at Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Today, "pickup at El Paso" means the actual work location is on the other side of the state line.
| Facility | Railroad | Location and notes |
| Santa Teresa Intermodal Ramp | Union Pacific | In Santa Teresa, New Mexico, about 15 miles west of downtown El Paso; opened April 2014, replacing the old city ramp; investment about USD 400 million; 2,200-acre park with the ramp itself about 300 acres; annual lift capacity about 225,000 lifts, expandable to 700,000; 74,000 feet of track; eight-lane automated gate |
| Alfalfa Yard | Union Pacific | Southeast El Paso; after the Santa Teresa ramp opened it became a general freight classification yard and no longer handles container intermodal |
| El Paso station | BNSF | In the city, mainly carload and bulk traffic, with interchange to Mexican operator Ferromex over the Rio Grande rail bridge |
The northward shift of the landing point has three direct effects on consignees. First, longer drayage: from the Santa Teresa ramp to warehouses in El Paso is about 15 miles, and to Las Cruces about 65 miles, both within an hour, but the empty return point is likewise at Santa Teresa, so round-trip mileage must be counted both ways. Second, cross-state work: the ramp is in New Mexico and the city in Texas, and the two states' vehicle weight permits and some administrative formalities are separate; heavy containers crossing the state line should confirm both states' requirements before pickup. Third, the location of customs functions changes accordingly: the New Mexico side is in Customs District 24, the same district as El Paso, so the filing basis is consistent, but the specific examination site is at Santa Teresa. These three items are a different arrangement from "pickup inside El Paso city" and cannot be mixed when scheduling.
The capacity and alignment of the Santa Teresa ramp also set the direction of block trains. The ramp sits on the Sunset Route, which runs 760 miles from El Paso to Los Angeles and is Union Pacific's main artery across the southern United States, with about 30 to 40 trains a day passing through this corridor. Containers discharged at West Coast ports can be loaded directly onto westbound trains without changing at Chicago. BNSF traffic in El Paso is comparatively light, about 3 to 5 trains a day, mainly carload, grain and autos; container intermodal remains centered on Union Pacific's Santa Teresa ramp. So El Paso's FCL landing point can generally be assumed to be Santa Teresa, unless the bill of lading specifically names BNSF as the carrier.
El Paso's other channel is air, supported by a foreign-trade zone covering the whole city. Together they form conditions that distinguish El Paso from an ordinary inland point.
The role of the foreign-trade zone in El Paso differs from that in an ordinary inland city. The main scenario here is not "import and sell in the United States" but "import and enter the cross-border supply chain": parts are inspected, sub-packaged and partially processed inside or near the zone, then sent to factories on the Ciudad Juarez side; finished goods shipped back from Mexico may then be re-exported to a third country. Duty deferral and processing-before-re-export arrangements match this two-way flow, which is why FTZ 68's export volume ranks high. Goods inside the zone remain under customs supervision, and movement in and out requires the appropriate formalities; specific site availability should be confirmed case by case with a licensed customs broker. A foreign-trade zone does not change import compliance requirements — commodity classification, origin and safety standards still apply.
There are three main routes from China to El Paso: entry via a West Coast port with rail direct to Santa Teresa, entry via a Mexican Pacific Coast port with northbound cross-border movement, and entry via a Gulf of Mexico port with westward movement.
| Route | Port of entry | Inland leg | Features |
| West Coast direction | Los Angeles 2704, Long Beach 2709 | Union Pacific Sunset Route rail direct to the Santa Teresa ramp, no Chicago interchange | Short ocean leg, transcontinental direct rail, few handoffs; the mainstream FCL routing for El Paso |
| Via the Mexican Pacific Coast | Manzanillo, Lazaro Cardenas and other Mexican ports | Rail or truck north within Mexico to Ciudad Juarez, then across a road bridge | Clears under Mexican import formalities; suits shippers with production capacity in Mexico or plants in Ciudad Juarez |
| Gulf of Mexico direction | Houston 5301 | Rail or truck west to El Paso | Longer ocean leg; suits consignees with simultaneous Gulf purchasing arrangements |
| Air freight | El Paso International Airport (ELP) | Pickup at the terminal or short-haul delivery | High-value, time-sensitive cargo |
Among the three FCL routes, the West Coast entry combination is the most direct. After discharge and release at Los Angeles or Long Beach, containers are loaded onto Union Pacific Sunset Route trains and can reach the Santa Teresa ramp directly, without interchanging at Chicago or Kansas City. This is El Paso's advantage over inland points such as Dallas or Denver: with the same West Coast entry, the inland leg here is a single direct line. The Mexican Pacific Coast combination runs under a different legal framework: cargo clears as a Mexican import within Mexico, moves inland to Ciudad Juarez, and finally crosses a road bridge into the United States or is delivered directly to a plant in Mexico. This route is not a U.S. import business; if the cargo ultimately enters the United States, a U.S. import entry must still be filed on the U.S. side. The Gulf route has a long ocean leg and a short inland leg, and usually only makes sense when there is simultaneous Houston-direction volume.
One more scenario needs separate judgment: when the receiving plant is on the Ciudad Juarez side. The cargo's destination is then Mexico, and the ocean discharge port may be Manzanillo or Lazaro Cardenas, or the cargo may be discharged at a West Coast port and moved in-bond through the United States before exiting. The tariff and procedural differences between the two approaches are large, depending on the cargo's use in Mexico and the final sales market; this should be confirmed with a customs broker before booking and should not be handled by simply applying the standard U.S. import process.
Door-to-door time is calculated in segments by route. In El Paso's FCL time structure, the rail leg is a straight transcontinental movement — the main difference from most Midwest inland points.
| Route | Ocean leg | Inland leg | Door-to-door total |
| Shanghai / Ningbo to Los Angeles, then Sunset Route rail | About 11 to 18 days | About 3 to 5 days | About 15 to 26 days |
| Shenzhen to Los Angeles, then Sunset Route rail | About 13 to 25 days | About 3 to 5 days | About 17 to 33 days |
| Shanghai / Ningbo via Panama to Houston, then rail or truck | About 28 to 36 days | About 4 to 6 days | About 33 to 45 days |
| Shanghai / Ningbo to a Mexican Pacific Coast port, then cross-border | About 18 to 26 days | About 3 to 5 days | Calculated separately under Mexican import arrangements |
The totals in the table are estimates from port to consignee warehouse and exclude booking, loading and export declaration at origin. Actual times are affected by vessel type, port call order, terminal congestion, rail car supply and holidays, and can extend by a week or more in peak season. El Paso has four local factors that stack onto the schedule: first, cross-border queuing, as commercial examination at the Bridge of the Americas is concentrated between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., and missing the window rolls to the next day; second, examination hour limits, as weekend rail examination covers only night hours, so weekend-daytime arrivals of cross-border trains roll over; third, summer heat, as city temperatures from June to September are often above 35 degrees Celsius and afternoon work efficiency drops, with de-stuffing and examination work moved to the morning; fourth, storm season, as July to September thunderstorms can temporarily close bridges or affect road drayage.
Comparing the routes together shows a clear time distribution. The West Coast entry combination has both a short ocean leg and a short inland leg, with no hub interchange on rail, so controllability is good; the Mexican Pacific Coast combination has a slightly longer ocean leg but skips the transcontinental rail leg, which can be more economical for shippers with plants in Ciudad Juarez; the Gulf combination is long at both ends and is usually competitive only in specific rate windows. LCL cargo is generally not scheduled on transcontinental rail direct, and is more commonly moved by truck after de-stuffing at Los Angeles.
Customs business in El Paso is handled by CBP at port 2402, registered as a full-function Service Port and the district center of District 24, with the field office also located here. Two common clearance arrangements apply to goods from China.
Formal entry filing requires the consignee's employer identification number (EIN), commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading. Ocean cargo must complete the Importer Security Filing (ISF, commonly called 10+2) before loading, submitted by the importer or its agent at least 24 hours before the vessel sails. Commodity classification, origin and valuation are handled under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Texas levies no state personal income tax; import cargo entering circulation in the state for final consumption may involve sales and use tax, handled by the consignee according to its business nature and registration. In El Paso's clearance business, electronics and auto parts account for a high share; the documentation requirements for these two categories are detailed, and the commodity code and usage description must match the physical goods. For cargo assembled in Mexico and shipped back, the quantities, models and values moving in both directions must stay mutually consistent to avoid discrepancies between records and goods.
Once the container reaches Santa Teresa by rail, pickup is completed within the rail facility and differs from a marine terminal. Rail facilities run mainly on online systems, and timing starts when the arrival notice is issued.
The risk points in the process concentrate on the landing point and cross-state arrangements. First is location confirmation: the ramp is in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, a different state from El Paso city; if the bill of lading only says "El Paso" without confirming the facility, the drayage carrier may schedule to the city address, adding cross-state mileage. Second is the return point: empties are usually returned to the Santa Teresa ramp or a nearby yard, and both the pickup and return points should be confirmed before pickup to avoid taking a container with nowhere to return it. Third is two-state operation: a heavy container entering Texas from New Mexico falls under each state's independent gross weight and axle-load rules, and overweight containers must be confirmed separately. Fourth is the location of the customs examination site: if the examination is handled at the port, the container cannot leave customs control before release, and pickup time rolls with the examination result.
The Last Free Day (LFD) is the deadline of the free storage period; beyond it, storage charges begin. El Paso's storage charges arise only at the port of entry terminal or the rail facility, and the length of the free period depends on the landing point.
| Item | Start of count | Free period | Billing party |
| Rail ramp storage (Santa Teresa) | The arrival notice date | Under Union Pacific's published policy, usually two to four days | Union Pacific |
| Marine terminal storage | The discharge date or the date the container is available | Under terminal announcements, usually four days for standard containers | Terminal operator |
| Carrier container per-diem | The day the container leaves the terminal or facility | Free time by container type and service | Ocean carrier |
| Chassis rental | The day the chassis is picked up | As agreed with the drayage carrier | Chassis provider |
| Mexican-side storage and handling | Under the Mexican carrier's or facility's rules | As agreed in the Mexican-side contract | Mexican carrier |
The five charges have different start points and billing parties and do not offset one another. Rail ramp storage overrun does not automatically extend the carrier's free time, and vice versa. For cargo involving a cross-border leg, two more items must be confirmed: who bears the Mexican-side clearance and storage responsibility, and who the carrier is on the cross-border segment. After receiving the arrival notice, the consignee should confirm together the ramp's last free day, the carrier's free-time expiry, the empty return point's location and hours, the chassis source and billing method, and the round-trip mileage from warehouse to return point. Confirm all five before setting pickup and return dates to avoid clearing one while overrunning another.
If pickup cannot be completed within the free period for reasons beyond the consignee's control — such as a customs hold or document correction — a written extension request can be filed with the railroad, terminal or carrier, supported by the relevant documents, and must be submitted before the original expiry date; late requests are generally not backdated. Whether it is granted depends on each company's published policy, and there is no uniform standard. Weight needs separate attention: freight along the Texas-Mexico border generally uses higher gross vehicle weight permits, and steel, cement and project cargo around El Paso often run on overweight permits; consignees of heavy cargo should calculate the total container weight in advance and confirm the permit requirements of both states separately. In addition, the Santa Teresa port has a heavy-truck area for cross-border transfer of overweight containers, which should be stated when arranging the cross-border segment.
Customs examination (CBP Examination) is a routine part of the import process, sampling declared cargo by risk score. The examination usually takes place at the port where the container lands, and can also take place at an inland port after transfer, depending on the examination location set at filing.
| Exam type | What is done | Effect on pickup |
| Document review | Checks invoice, packing list, certificate of origin against the filing | Does not move cargo; released once documents are supplied |
| X-ray scan (NII) | Full-container imaging without opening | Usually same-day; container stays in the yard |
| Tailgate exam | Opens the door to check the front cargo | Adds half a day to a day |
| Intensive exam (CET) | Moved to the exam area for piece count and de-stuffing | Adds three to seven days; must be re-stuffed |
Examination produces an exam service fee, drayage round-trip, labor for de-stuffing and re-stuffing, and storage during the exam, all borne by the consignee regardless of the outcome. If Los Angeles or Long Beach is used as the port of entry at filing, the examination is generally completed there and the El Paso end only bears delayed arrival; if El Paso is used as the port of entry, the examination is handled locally, and note that weekend rail examination covers only night hours, so weekend-daytime arrivals roll over. The container can continue inland only after release, making examination a main source of transit-time fluctuation at inland points. Practical ways to lower the chance of being flagged are: match the declared description to the actual goods, keep the price within the common range for similar goods, avoid under-declaration and mixed loading, and maintain a continuous import record. In El Paso-area filings, the origin and model descriptions for electronics and auto parts are the focus of verification, and supporting documents should be kept with the cargo.
When goods cannot clear U.S. customs or the consignee refuses delivery, a return shipment can be arranged, provided the goods have not been consumed or delivered in the United States and remain in a terminal, rail facility, bonded warehouse or customs-controlled area. Goods already released, delivered to the consignee's warehouse and entered into domestic circulation cannot be treated as a return.
Whether to return is usually decided after comparing three alternatives: abandoning the goods, reselling to another country, or destroying on site. Abandonment requires a customs application and bears the destruction cost; resale requires re-arranging transport and export procedures. El Paso's warehousing and processing infrastructure is linked to assembly industries on the Mexican side; if the cargo only mismatches on specification or labeling, reworking in bond and then re-exporting is sometimes more economical than returning the whole batch, depending on the rework cost and the tariff arrangements of the original exporting country. For goods subject to additional duties or requiring permits, confirm the destination country's import requirements before disposal.
El Paso's freight rhythm is set jointly by the seasonality of West Coast port services and the production scheduling of the cross-border manufacturing supply chain. Unlike a pure consumer inland point, seasonality here is clearly influenced by production plans on the Mexican side.
Three seasonal variables at El Paso deserve separate mention. First is summer heat: city temperatures from June to September are often above 35 degrees Celsius, afternoon outdoor work efficiency drops, and de-stuffing examination and manual loading mostly move to the morning, while reefer cargo is more sensitive to temperature control and timing in this period. Second is storm season: July to September thunderstorms concentrate in the afternoon and can temporarily close bridges or affect road drayage, so the cross-border segment should keep a buffer. Third is cross-border traffic peaks: border truck queuing lengthens noticeably around holidays, Mexican-side long weekends, and factory shift changes, and ports whose commercial examination ends at 2 p.m. are especially prone to backlogs at the end of the morning. In addition, El Paso is a highway node between the U.S. South and West, and carriers' capacity tension around long weekends directly affects drayage and delivery arrangements.
The benefits of using El Paso as an import landing point concentrate on four areas: direct rail, cross-border channels, the foreign-trade zone and industry matching.
| Advantage | What it means |
| Sunset Route rail direct | Trains from Los Angeles and Long Beach reach the Santa Teresa ramp directly, without interchanging at Chicago or Kansas City; the inland leg is a single direct line |
| Large automated ramp | The Santa Teresa ramp park covers 2,200 acres with annual lift capacity of about 225,000 lifts, expandable to 700,000, and an eight-lane automated gate |
| Dual land and rail cross-border channels | Three road bridges and two rail crossings; both Union Pacific and BNSF interchange with Ferromex on the Mexican side |
| Its own customs port | Port code 2402, registered as a Service Port and the district center of Customs District 24, with the field office located locally |
| Foreign-trade zone scale near the top | FTZ 68 ranks third among all U.S. foreign-trade zones for exports and first among the 35 Texas zones for exports, mainly electronics and auto parts |
| Direct match to Mexican assembly industries | Together with Ciudad Juarez it forms a border metro area of about 2.5 million people, suited to two-way parts and finished goods flow |
The limits should be seen at the same time. El Paso has no coastline, so all ocean cargo must transfer through a West Coast or Gulf port, adding an inland leg; the container ramp is in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, across the state line from the city, and both pickup and return are counted at round-trip mileage. The port's commercial examination window is short — 2402 ends at 2 p.m. — so scheduling needs margin. Weekend rail examination covers only night hours, and weekend-daytime arrivals of cross-border trains roll over. Summer heat and afternoon thunderstorms are variables to anticipate when scheduling. El Paso suits best: consignees whose market covers West Texas, southern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona, or shippers whose supply chain itself spans both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border with two-way parts and finished goods flow. If the cargo's final destination is inside Mexico, the route should be designed under Mexican import arrangements rather than following the standard U.S. import process.
No. El Paso is at the far western end of Texas and is an inland city; all ocean FCL cargo must first be discharged at a West Coast port (Los Angeles, Long Beach) or a Gulf of Mexico port, then moved in by rail or truck. The nearest major seaports to El Paso are Los Angeles and Long Beach, and some volume also enters via Mexican Pacific Coast ports.
2402 (El Paso, Texas), registered as a Service Port and the district center of Customs District 24. The CBP office is at Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry, 3600 E. Paisano, El Paso, TX 79905, phone (915) 730-7000, with commercial examination weekdays 06:00 to 14:00 (Mountain Time). The international location code used for booking and bills of lading is USELP.
No. Ysleta is a separate port code, 2401, corresponding to the Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge, with commercial examination weekdays 06:00 to 24:00 and Saturday 06:00 to 14:00. Its window is longer than El Paso port 2402, and it often serves as a fallback when loading time runs long. Some port lists mix up the two addresses; CBP's official information should prevail.
In most cases not. Union Pacific moved its container intermodal operation to Santa Teresa, New Mexico in 2014, with the ramp about 15 miles west of downtown El Paso, a 2,200-acre park and annual lift capacity of about 225,000 lifts. Alfalfa Yard in the city has become a general freight classification yard and no longer handles container intermodal. So the city name on the bill of lading and the actual pickup location are in different states, and drayage must be arranged as a cross-state move.
Container intermodal is centered on Union Pacific, landing at the Santa Teresa ramp in New Mexico, with trains from the Sunset Route direction. BNSF has an El Paso station locally with comparatively light traffic, mainly carload, grain and autos. Both railroads interchange with Mexican operator Ferromex over the Rio Grande international rail bridges.
The most common is entry via Los Angeles or Long Beach followed by a Union Pacific Sunset Route train direct to the Santa Teresa ramp, with an ocean leg of about 11 to 25 days, an inland leg of about 3 to 5 days, and door-to-door about 15 to 33 days. Second is entry via a Mexican Pacific Coast port with northbound cross-border movement, suited to shippers with plants in Ciudad Juarez.
FTZ 68 has the City of El Paso as grantee and is operated by El Paso International Airport; it now consists of 18 sites totaling about 3,467.85 acres. Its main uses are duty deferral and processing before re-export, directly matched to assembly industries on the Mexican side. According to official data from February 2026, the zone ranks third among all U.S. foreign-trade zones for exports, mainly electronics and auto parts. Specific site availability and formalities should be confirmed case by case with a licensed customs broker.
Yes. If the cargo ultimately enters the United States, a U.S. import entry and examination must still be completed on the U.S. side. Clearing at a Mexican port and moving north only completes Mexican import formalities and does not replace U.S. import formalities. Conversely, if the cargo's destination is a plant inside Mexico, it is handled under Mexican regulations without a U.S. filing, but the routing and bond arrangements must be confirmed before booking.
Under Union Pacific's published policy, usually two to four days from the arrival notice date. Beyond the free period, storage is charged daily at the railroad's published rate. For cross-border arrangements, also confirm who bears the Mexican-side clearance and storage responsibility.
A written extension can be requested from the railroad, terminal or carrier, with the examination or hold documents submitted before the original expiry date. Whether it is granted depends on each company's policy, there is no uniform standard, and late requests are generally not backdated. Cross-border trains should note that weekend rail examination covers only night hours, so release may roll over.
Yes, provided the goods have not been consumed or delivered in the United States and remain in a facility, bonded warehouse or customs-controlled area. A return requires U.S. export declaration and Chinese import declaration; goods returned in original condition due to quality or specification issues can apply for duty exemption within the allowed period. El Paso has no coastline, so return containers must first move on Sunset Route trains back to Los Angeles or Long Beach for loading.
August through October is the tightest period, as retailers stock for the year-end holidays and the auto industry's new model launches and year-end pushes also concentrate in autumn. A further rush shipment wave appears from late December to early January before Chinese New Year. Three local variables to anticipate: June to September heat and afternoon thunderstorms, cross-border truck queuing around holidays and factory shift changes, and highway capacity tension around long weekends.
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