Commercial carriers crossing the U.S.-Mexico border through Laredo’s World Trade Bridge and Colombia-Solidarity Bridge now face administrative penalties of up to $2,000 when their TradeTag toll accounts carry insufficient funds, according to FreightWaves. The City of Laredo Bridge System began enforcing the updated policy on Monday, replacing a previous rule that forced trucks with low balances to make a U-turn before crossing.
New penalty schedule for insufficient TradeTag balances
Under the revised policy, commercial vehicles arriving with insufficient funds in their Automated Vehicle Identification (AVI), or TradeTag, accounts are allowed to continue crossing, but penalties are assessed to the carrier’s account. The escalating fines scale with each violation, according to FreightWaves:
| Violation | Penalty | Additional consequences |
|---|---|---|
| First | $500 | plus applicable bridge tolls |
| Second | $1,000 | plus applicable bridge tolls |
| Third | $2,000 | plus applicable tolls and suspension of the TradeTag account |
Reactivating a suspended account costs $200, FreightWaves reported. The city first announced the escalating penalties earlier this month.
Why Laredo replaced the U-turn rule
The previous process required trucks with insufficient funds to turn around before crossing, which created bottlenecks, according to Felipe G. Romero, marketing director for Port Laredo.
"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." — Felipe G. Romero, Port Laredo marketing director
Romero said that at a high-volume commercial crossing, reducing these avoidable movements can help improve the consistency and reliability of bridge operations. Laredo processes more than 17,000 commercial truck crossings daily across its two international bridges, according to bridge system data cited by FreightWaves. Insufficient-fund U-turns averaged about 120 per month since December, while the current fiscal-year average is about 150 per month.
Which bridges and accounts are affected
The new policy applies to commercial TradeTag crossings at the World Trade Bridge and Colombia-Solidarity Bridge, which both handle commercial freight traffic. According to FreightWaves, the Laredo Bridge System currently has 4,574 active commercial TradeTag accounts. The city now also requires commercial account holders to maintain a valid credit card on file and enroll in automatic account replenishment to 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," he told FreightWaves. The Bridge System has conducted outreach encouraging customers to monitor balances, maintain valid payment methods and enroll in automatic replenishment.
Supply chain impact at the busiest inland gateway
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, according to the FreightWaves report.
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.
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