J.B. Hunt Transport Services, BNSF Railway and Mexico-based rail provider GMXT launched a service called Quantum de México, according to a May 30 press release. The service offers shippers cross-border rail intermodal freight deliveries between the U.S. and Mexico— routes where trucks currently move the majority of freight.
Quantum de México focuses on service-sensitive freight, which includes automotive, manufacturing, agricultural and electronics. This type of freight “requires a high level of consistency, agility and timeliness in its transport, often due to tight delivery windows or ‘just-in-time’ supply chain needs,” a spokesperson for J.B. Hunt told Supply Chain Dive in an email.
Some of the primary markets the new Mexico service will operate in include the East and West coasts along with Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. In Mexico, it will operate in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.
Support teams from the three companies will provide “24x7 oversight, delivering consistent and reliable transit times including features like priority drayage as well as railcar loading and unloading,” per the release.
Quantum de México follows J.B. Hunt and BNSF’s Quantum service based in the U.S. that launched in November 2023. The service targets “customers who have been historically hesitant to put their freight on rail,” a spokesperson for J.B. Hunt said in an email to Supply Chain Dive at the time.
About 70% of freight transported across the Mexico and U.S. border is moved by truck, according to the press release.
J.B. Hunt, BNSF and GMXT look to capitalize on the untapped potential for businesses moving freight in and out of Mexico by converting over-the-road cargo to rail intermodal.
“Intermodal conversion is the most widely available ground transportation solution for cutting carbon emissions, reducing a shipment’s carbon footprint by an average of 65% compared to OTR truck transportation,” per the release.
Other rail carriers also competing in the Mexico transborder intermodal freight include CSX and Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The two railroads announced an interchange to connect shippers to Mexico, Texas and the Southeast U.S., according to an Oct. 2024 press release.
