Positioning inventory in Tijuana shortens truck transit to Southern California hubs and enables same‑day or next‑day delivery windows for nearby U.S. metros. Key considerations are port‑of‑entry lane capacity, carrier cutoffs, and the 3PL’s cross‑border customs processes to avoid dwell time at the border.

Confirm the 3PL’s ability to operate bonded warehouses, manage IMMEX/maquiladora paperwork, and coordinate with licensed customs brokers. Verify electronic filing capabilities, tariff classification support, and documented procedures for inspections and penalty mitigation.

Evaluate lease rates, labor wages, utilities, local taxes, cross‑border drayage, and duty optimization strategies. Also assess inbound consolidation fees, pick/pack rates, value‑added service charges, and turnover projections to model true landed cost.

Ask for lane maps, carrier rosters (parcel, LTL, TL), scheduled drayage frequencies, on‑time pickup rates, and historical transit time SLAs. Evaluate multimodal options—road, nearby rail interchanges, and access to Pacific ports—for redundancy and cost tradeoffs.

Require demonstrated capacity growth plans, WMS/API integration examples, EDI/OMS connectivity, and defined RMA workflows. Review KPIs for order accuracy, inventory visibility, pick/pack throughput, and reverse logistics SLAs to ensure alignment with omnichannel service levels.