Shipping from Houston
Houston, Texas freight rates Whether by sea, highway or rail, a major portion of the country’s freight passes in and out of the Houston region. The region is home to the ports of Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City. The Port of Houston ranks first in the U.S. in foreign tonnage and is the largest container port in the Gulf Coast, handling 66 percent of Gulf Coast container traffic in 2013. A recent expansion of the Panama Canal to allow larger ocean freighters should increase port traffic. As one of the nation’s busiest rail centers, the Houston region has a rail network of more than 800 miles of rail line and 21 miles of railroad bridges. Additionally, 10 major rail companies serve the Houston region and 150 trucking lines connect the Port of Houston to the continental U.S., Canada and Mexico. Houston is the crossroads for Interstate Highways 10 and 45, as well as several state highways.
Shipping to Austin
Austin, TX freight rates As the capital city of Texas, Austin benefits from a prime central location in both the U.S. and in the heart of the Lone Star State. Haulers can take advantage of the region’s location at the intersection of I-35 (the NAFTA corridor) and a network of U.S. and state highways. Three of the nation’s 10 largest cities – Houston, San Antonio and Dallas – are no more than three hours away. Austin is served by two Class I railroads and two regional railroads. The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport handled 155 million pounds of cargo in 2014. The city is within 250 miles of four of the top 11 U.S. ports: Houston, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, and Texas City. It is also within a four-hour drive to Laredo, the major port of entry between the U.S. and Mexico. Like most of Texas, freight shipping in and out of Austin is quite affordable due to the high volume of goods moving in, out and through the state, and efficient due to the transportation network and mild winters.
