If you are a customs broker or freight forwarder working the Laredo gateway, you already know the problem: the entry is filed, the truck is at the bridge, and the shipper needs somewhere for the freight to sit, get worked, or wait on a decision. You need a warehouse that takes the load today and does not try to take your client.
That is what Gilbert International is for. We are a Laredo 3PL with 250,000+ square feet on I-35, four classes of customs bonded warehousing, and a 10-car Union Pacific spur — and we are not a broker. We hold and handle the freight. You keep the account.
Your client stays your client
We work for you, on your shipper’s freight, under whatever arrangement you and the shipper already have. We do not solicit accounts brought to us by a broker or forwarder, we do not file entries, and we do not get between you and your customer. Refer the freight, and the relationship you built is the relationship that stays.
If you would rather be paid for the introduction than stay in the middle, call us and we will talk through how you prefer to be involved.
What we do for the freight you refer
- Hold it in bond. Customs bonded warehousing in classes 3, 4, 8 and 11 — duty deferral, in-bond transfers, general order, and Class 8 manipulation (sort, repack, relabel, break bulk) without exiting bond. See the four classes explained.
- Transload it. Railcar to truck or truck to railcar on our own 10-car Union Pacific spur, inside the fence. No drayage leg to a rail yard.
- Cross-dock it. Northbound loads restacked and out the door onto I-35; southbound loads consolidated before they cross. Same building, same crew.
- Store and distribute it. General warehousing, temperature-controlled space, food-grade storage under Texas DSHS, TABC and City of Laredo licenses, and US distribution to Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and beyond.
- Talk to the shipper in Spanish. Our whole team is bilingual, which matters when the plant manager in Monterrey or Saltillo calls about his own freight. More on how we work with Mexican shippers.
What to send us
The faster we have these, the faster you get a yes and a dock appointment:
- Commercial invoice and packing list (or a pallet count, dimensions and weight if the paperwork is still moving)
- Bill of lading or the carrier and trailer number
- Entry type — consumption, in-bond (IT/T&E/I.E.) or general order — and whether the freight needs to stay under bond
- Commodity and any handling notes: temperature-controlled, food-grade, oversized, hazmat
- What happens next: hold, manipulate, transload to rail, cross-dock to a truck, or store for distribution
- Your contact and the shipper’s contact, and who we should talk to about what
Send it to dispatch@gilbertint.com or use the quote form. Either way it goes to a person, not a queue.
What you get back
- A same-day answer. We check the dock schedule and commit — no ticket number, no escalation path.
- One building for every step. Bonded, non-bonded, rail and truck under one roof, so freight moves from bond to domestic storage to a trailer without leaving the site.
- A warehouse that knows the paperwork. We have run bonded storage on this corridor for decades. We know what CBP expects at the door and we do not make you explain a T&E twice.
- Office hours. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central.
Why Laredo, and why this address
Port Laredo handled $354 billion in trade in 2025, more than 97% of it with Mexico. Freight exits the World Trade Bridge, rolls down I-35, and reaches our dock before any other warehouse on the American side. If your client is one of the manufacturers moving production into northern Mexico, this is the building three hours from their plant. Read about the Port Laredo numbers and what USMCA actually changed at the border.
Common questions from brokers and forwarders
Will you go around me to the shipper?
No. Freight you bring us is your account. We do not solicit it, and we route commercial questions back to you unless you tell us otherwise.
Do you file entries or act as a broker?
No. We are a bonded warehouse and 3PL. You file; we hold, handle and release on your instructions.
Can freight arrive under an in-bond entry and be released in pieces?
Yes. That is what the bonded classes are for — hold in bond, withdraw for consumption as your client needs it, and defer the duties until then. See duty deferral explained.
How fast can you take a load?
Call first. With the paperwork above in hand, a same-day dock appointment is the normal answer, not the exception.
Do you handle food-grade or temperature-sensitive freight?
Yes — temperature-controlled space and food-grade storage under Texas DSHS, TABC and City of Laredo licenses. We do not offer refrigerated or frozen storage.
Do you take railcars?
Yes. Union Pacific cars come in on our own 10-car spur and transload at the rail dock. Rail-to-truck and truck-to-rail for the same account.
Want something to forward to your client? Download the one-page capability sheet.
Ready to refer a load? Call 956-723-4308, email dispatch@gilbertint.com, or request a quote. One call, no ticket queue.