Independent editorial resource
Brownsville–Matamoros border wait times: Veterans & Los Indios radar
Live commercial truck and passenger wait times at Brownsville–Matamoros (Veterans International at Los Tomates, Free Trade Bridge at Los Indios, B&M and Gateway) with CBP baseline.
An independent operational radar showing whether commercial truck lanes at Brownsville–Matamoros (Veterans International at Los Tomates and Free Trade Bridge at Los Indios) are running normal, elevated or congested. Built for Tamaulipas IMMEX manufacturers, I-69E freight carriers and Lower Rio Grande Valley logistics teams.
Commercial freight signal · Brownsville–Matamoros
NormalCommercial crossings at Brownsville–Matamoros are reporting normal levels (Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates: 5 min). Treat it as a baseline, not a guarantee.
Suggested action: Normal waits: use as a baseline, but confirm carrier appointment, broker cutoff and warehouse receiving hours.
Operating hours and data availability
Commercial freight at Brownsville–Matamoros splits between Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates (Port 535502) and Free Trade Bridge at Los Indios (Port 535503); B&M and Gateway handle passenger vehicles. A "closed" or "N/A" status outside commercial hours is normal.
Check current hours and minute-by-minute waits at bwt.cbp.gov before dispatching.
Commercial freight crossings
Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates
- Commercial · standard
- 5 min
- Commercial · FAST
- 5 min
- Passenger · standard
- 90 min
Commercial flow normal for now; confirm appointment and cutoff.
Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios
- Commercial · standard
- 5 min
- Commercial · FAST
- Lanes Closed
- Passenger · standard
- 5 min
Commercial flow normal for now; confirm appointment and cutoff.
Passenger crossings
Brownsville & Matamoros International Bridge
- Passenger · standard
- 30 min
- Commercial · standard
- N/A
Gateway International Bridge
- Passenger · standard
- 5 min
- Commercial · standard
- N/A
Historical baseline (same weekday and hour)
Current wait compared against the historical average for this same hour, using our own readings collected every 20 minutes.
Loading baseline…
Weekly pattern of commercial waits
Average wait by weekday and hour at Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates, from our own readings collected every 20 minutes over the last 8 weeks. Local port time.
Heaviest hour of the week: Fri 12:00 · 30 min
| Día | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Mon | 1 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||
| Tue | 3 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| Wed | 2 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||
| Thu | 0 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 10 | 18 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
| Fri | 0 | 1 | 6 | 18 | 20 | 30 | 25 | 22 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||||||
| Sat | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Based on 2,261 readings. Blank cells are hours with no reported commercial wait, usually outside operating hours.
Veterans vs. Los Indios: why Matamoros stays faster than Pharr
Our accumulated CBP readings characterize Brownsville–Matamoros as a low-friction corridor: Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates (Port 535502) averages under 22 minutes in commercial lanes, while Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios (Port 535503) rarely exceeds 6 minutes.
Because Los Indios sits roughly halfway between Matamoros and Reynosa, shippers sometimes evaluate it as a relief valve when Pharr–Reynosa is severely congested. Keep in mind that Los Indios belongs to the Matamoros customs house (Section 1), not Reynosa — diverting a load requires confirming in advance that your Mexican customs broker can clear under that customs code and that your pedimento and Carta Porte reflect the correct port.
Frequently asked questions
Which bridges handle commercial cargo between Matamoros and Brownsville?
Commercial trucks cross at two bridges: Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates (CBP port 535502), which carries the main cargo volume on the east side of Brownsville/Matamoros, and Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios (535503), west of town (Section 1 of the Matamoros customs house). B&M and Gateway are passenger crossings.
How fast are Veterans and Los Indios compared with Pharr–Reynosa?
In our accumulated CBP readings, Brownsville–Matamoros is a fast corridor rather than a congested one: Veterans averages under 22 minutes across the week, while Los Indios rarely exceeds 6 minutes. That makes Los Indios or Veterans a viable alternative when Pharr–Reynosa backs up, provided the extra highway mileage makes sense and your Mexican customs broker holds an active operation at the Matamoros customs house.
Where do these Brownsville–Matamoros wait times come from?
From the public U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Wait Times feed, read live and compared against our 8-week historical baseline. Verify directly with CBP before dispatching.
Source and limitations
Data: CBP Border Wait Times (public feed). Independent editorial interpretation operated by Heberey LLC; verify against official sources before dispatching. Read the methodology.