Laredo hits low-balance truck toll accounts with fines up to $2,000

According to Felipe G. Romero, marketing director for Port Laredo, the change is intended to improve traffic flow and operational efficiency at the city’s commercial international bridges.

“When a commercial vehicle reaches the toll plaza with insufficient funds under the previous process, completing the required U-turn could take approximately five to seven minutes and temporarily disrupt traffic flow at the toll plaza,” Romero told FreightWaves. “At a high-volume commercial crossing, reducing these avoidable movements can help improve the consistency and reliability of bridge operations.”

Related: Mexico tops US trade rankings in June as Laredo handles $36.5B in freight

Laredo processes more than 17,000 commercial truck crossings daily across its two international bridges, making efficient freight movement critical to supply chains throughout North America.

Bridge system data shows approximately 120 insufficient-fund U-turns per month on average since December, while the current fiscal-year average is about 150 per month.

The new policy applies to commercial TradeTag crossings at the World Trade Bridge and Colombia-Solidarity Bridge, which both handle commercial freight traffic. The Laredo Bridge System currently has 4,574 active commercial TradeTag accounts.

Under the updated rules, a first insufficient-fund violation carries a $500 administrative penalty plus applicable bridge tolls. A second violation results in a $1,000 penalty plus tolls, while a third violation carries a $2,000 penalty, applicable tolls and suspension of the TradeTag account. Reactivating a suspended account costs $200.

The escalating penalties were first announced by the city of Laredo Bridge System earlier this month and are designed to encourage carriers to maintain sufficient account balances before arriving at the bridge.

The city is also requiring commercial account holders to maintain a valid credit card on file and enroll in automatic account replenishment to help prevent insufficient-fund incidents.

Romero emphasized that the policy is not intended to generate revenue through fines.

“The preferred outcome is for commercial account holders to maintain sufficient balances and avoid penalties altogether,” Romero said. 

The Bridge System has conducted outreach encouraging customers to monitor account balances, maintain valid payment methods and enroll in automatic replenishment.

Laredo remains the busiest inland trade gateway on the U.S.-Mexico border. The Port of Laredo handled more than $354 billion in imports and exports during 2025 and ranked as the nation’s top trade gateway through June, processing $36.5 billion in trade during the month and $199.2 billion year to date.

Why it matters: Even a few minutes of disruption at Laredo’s commercial bridges can ripple through North American supply chains, and city officials are betting that stricter TradeTag enforcement will keep freight moving more efficiently at the nation’s busiest U.S.-Mexico trade gateway.