ABSTRACT
Road and rail transportation from the USA through Mexico to Central America is most efficient through Los Dos Laredos. They are home to 510 freight-forwarding companies, 210 trucking companies, and 105 US Customs Brokers, plus one rail bridge and four vehicle bridges for commercial and/or private vehicle traffic. With a combined population of over 600,000, 'Los Dos Laredos' have survived multiple setbacks jointly and separately, but nevertheless affecting each in some way – most notably the closing of the Laredo Air Force Base in 1973, and the rise of drug cartel-related violence in the last 12 years. Over 1.5 million loaded trucks crossed the bridges northbound and nearly 1.4 million crossed the bridge southbound; so did over one million bus passengers and more than five million personal vehicles with over ten million passengers. Additionally, nearly 3.5 million foot passengers crossed the border.
