Cost by corridor
Methodology notice. The cost model changed between 2026-10-05 and 2026-10-07. This period's movements are flagged and should not be read as market movements.
| Corridor | Country | US$/trip | US$/km | vs. prior period | What moved it (points of the change) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bogotá → Cartagena | CO | $1,927.94 | $0.87 | — | Model change: this corridor does not use what changed; its cost did not move |
| Balboa → San José | PA · CR | $1,807.30 | $1.02 | — | Model change: this corridor does not use what changed; its cost did not move |
| Corinto → Managua | NI | $501.78 | $1.43 | — | Model change: Customs center +48.77 pp, Fixed cost per cycle +35.88 pp — not a market move |
| Moín/Limón → San José | CR | $402.70 | $1.18 | — | Model change: this corridor does not use what changed; its cost did not move |
| Panama City → Puerto Colón | PA | $270.37 | $1.66 | — | Model change: this corridor does not use what changed; its cost did not move |
| Puerto Quetzal → Guatemala City | GT | $264.98 | $1.18 | — | Model change: this corridor does not use what changed; its cost did not move |
| Puerto Cortés → San Pedro Sula | HN | $264.97 | $2.07 | — | Model change: this corridor does not use what changed; its cost did not move |
| Acajutla → San Salvador | SV | $180.68 | $0.91 | — | Model change: this corridor does not use what changed; its cost did not move |
| Belize City → Belmopan | BZ | $173.03 | $1.00 | — | Model change: this corridor does not use what changed; its cost did not move |
The trip is one-way, loaded. US$/km spreads that cost over every kilometre the carrier prices — the loaded ones plus the empty return and repositioning — so it will not match dividing the previous column by the corridor distance.
How it is built
- Fixed basket. Always the same corridors, same truck, same assumptions. If a corridor is re-routed and its distance changes, it leaves the basket: it is no longer the same lane.
- Modeled cost, not a market rate. This is the cost of operating the trip, not what a carrier charges. It is the floor you compare a quote against.
- Unweighted mean. We do not have volumes per corridor, so the basket is the simple mean of each corridor's change. Stated, not hidden.
- The model changes too. When the pricing code changes, that period's movement is flagged and never attributed to the market. Input prices (diesel, tolls, FX) are what the index is actually there to measure.
- Human review. A corridor moving more than 15% is flagged for review before publication.
Questions
How often is it updated?
Monthly. We do not promise a fixed day: an index that misses its stated date is worth less than one that arrives when the data is ready.
Is this what I would pay for a load?
No. It is the modeled cost of operating that trip. A market rate also carries the carrier's margin and the conditions of the moment. The index is the floor.
Why do some corridors show no change?
Because that corridor entered the basket this period, because its route distance changed, or because the cost model changed between the two periods and the movement would not be comparable.
Where do the numbers come from?
The same cost engine behind the calculator and the corridor pages, with the same diesel, toll and FX sources. That is why this page never contradicts the rest of the site.
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