Trucking Laws · California · November 12, 2026

U.S. and Mexican Customs Offload and Inspect 80% of Targeted Export Loads in Five-Day Otay Mesa Operation

By Big Rig Daily Staff

California's Otay Mesa border crossing saw five days of U.S. and Mexican customs officers going through targeted cargo loads. The effort, called Operation Trade Bridge, ran Oct. 19 through 23 at the Otay Mesa cargo export facility, CDLLife reports.

Who took part

U.S. Customs and Border Protection worked alongside Homeland Security Investigations and Mexico's national customs agency, the Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de Mexico, known as ANAM. The effort targeted possible trade violations in cargo moving between the two countries.

What they looked for

The five-day effort focused on high-value electronics and textiles. Officers were looking for:

• Undervalued cargo
• False country-of-origin claims
• Paperwork that did not match the load
• Possible transshipment, or routing goods through another country to hide where they came from

The results

Officials say they offloaded and inspected 80% of the targeted shipments. Some loads turned up discrepancies or other signs that need more review. No arrest or penalty numbers were released.

U.S. and Mexican officials say they hope to build on the effort by expanding information sharing, coordinating targeted enforcement and verifying trade data faster. "Operation Trade Bridge demonstrates the strength of coordinated enforcement and our shared commitment to protecting the integrity of international supply chains," said Diane J. Sabatino, an executive assistant commissioner with CBP's Office of Field Operations.

Why it matters to truckers

For the trucker sitting at the dock, a full offload means one thing: waiting. Carriers hauling export loads through Otay Mesa may want to confirm that shippers' paperwork matches what is in the trailer, since mismatched documents were a focus. More enforcement news is collected in Big Rig Daily's trucking laws section.

A question for readers

Should truckers get paid for the hours they sit while customs goes through a load they never packed?

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