Viking Freight Expands Ability to Service Tijuana's Maquiladora Market
21 July 2000
Carrier Adds Service Center in Otay Mesa, Calif.
SAN JOSE, Calif - To give shippers better access to the largest maquiladora market in Mexico, Viking Freight Inc., the leading LTL (less-than-truckload) carrier providing Western regional transportation service and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. , has opened a new service center in Otay Mesa, Calif. located on the border near Tijuana."With more than 800 maquiladora manufacturing plants in Tijuana alone, we saw the need to extend our services closer to the border for our customers who ship into and out of this key market," said Keith E. Lovetro, vice president of marketing for Viking. "Now the new facility in Otay Mesa joins our three other cross border service centers to give our customers easy and reliable access to nearly half of the 3,000 maquiladoras in Mexico."
Viking's other cross border service centers are located in El Paso, Texas, Tucson, Arizona, and Calexico, Calif. In 1999 trade between the U.S. and Mexico reached a record level of $196 billion, growing 13.4 percent over 1998 levels, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Mexico accounts for approximately 12 percent of total U.S. exports and 11 percent of imports.
Viking is offering the following border services at the Otay Mesa facility, in addition to standard domestic freight services:
-- Assembly & Distribution. Shippers save on border crossing and
brokerage fees by reducing the number of border crossings
-- Dock Drop Service. Mexican shippers can drop shipments at the
Otay Mesa service center at their convenience and Viking will
deliver them to their final U.S. destinations
-- Will Call. Shippers can send shipments to Otay Mesa for pickup
by their consignees and save on warehouse fees by using
Viking's dock to cross freight
To meet customers' demands to move freight quickly between the Western U.S. and Tijuana, Viking provides a door-to-door service called The Tijuana Express. In keeping with Viking's tradition of being EZTDBW(R) (Easy to Do Business With), The Tijuana Express service offers through rates, industry-leading transit times, and simplified documentation. Working as a team with local Tijuana carrier Transportes El Jefe, which provides shuttle service between Otay Mesa and Tijuana and pick up and delivery service in Tijuana, Viking ensures dependable transborder service for its customers.
Viking has simplified the documentation needed when shipping to Mexico by combining the bill of lading and the Commercial Invoice into one document called the Mexico Vik-Quick Pass(R). The documents needed when shipping to Mexico include:
-- Vik-Quick Pass (or a bill of lading and a Commercial Invoice)
-- Packing List
-- Shipper Export Declaration (SED) for shipments valued at more
than $2,500 US
-- Certificate of Origin
Viking's dedicated, bilingual customer service specialists are available to assist shippers with transborder shipping needs, rate quotes, and questions at 1-800-430-3391. Services and information such as placing pick-up orders, shipment tracing, and transit times, are available either by calling the 800 number or on the Internet at www.vikingfreight.com. Shippers can also request Viking's bilingual Tijuana Express flyer when they call customer service.
As part of FedEx Corp. and its family of companies, Viking Freight Inc. is the leader in providing next-day Western regional freight service. Founded in 1966, the company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. and has more than 5,000 employees. Viking provides services through a comprehensive network of 66 service centers in the eleven Western states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Known for its EZTDBW(R) (Easy-To-Do-Business-With) customer orientation, Viking is also consistently recognized for its industry-leading on-time delivery performance record. In 1999 the company's commitment to safety was honored with the American Trucking Associations' President's Trophy for its safety record. In addition to reliability and convenient e-commerce services, Viking offers shippers value-added services such as cross-border service to Canada and Mexico. More information about Viking can be found at www.vikingfreight.com.
With annual revenues of $18 billion, FedEx Corp. is the premier global provider of transportation, logistics, e-commerce and supply chain management services. The company offers integrated business solutions through a network of subsidiaries operating independently, including: FedEx Express, the world's largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground, North America's second largest provider of small-package ground delivery service; FedEx Logistics, an integrated logistics, technology and transportation-solution company; FedEx Custom Critical, the world's largest provider of expedited time-critical shipments; and FedEx Trade Networks, a provider of customs brokerage, consulting, information technology and trade facilitation solutions. More than 2.5 million customers are connected electronically through the FedEx information network and approximately two-thirds of its U.S. domestic transactions are now handled on-line.