Cargo falls into three broad groups: general cargo, which travels packed in countable units (loose, palletized or containerized); bulk cargo, which travels unpackaged, like grain or liquids; and special cargo, which needs extra handling: perishable, hazardous or oversize. The type decides which vehicle it rides in, how it's stored and what paperwork goes with it. For a brand that sells online, almost everything is general cargo.
The 7 types of cargo at a glance
| Cargo type | What it is | Example | How it moves and is stored |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (loose) | Goods packed in countable units: cartons, bundles, sacks | Cartons of apparel or electronics | Box truck or parcel carrier; shelving or racks |
| Palletized | General cargo stacked and stretch-wrapped on a pallet so it moves as one unit | Master cases of supplements on a pallet | Forklift or pallet jack; selective racking |
| Containerized | General cargo inside a 20- or 40-foot shipping container that moves from ship to rail or truck without being opened | An import shipment from Asia | Ship, rail or tractor-trailer; unloaded and stored at destination |
| Bulk | Unpackaged product loaded straight into the vehicle, solid or liquid | Grain, cement, fuel | Hopper, tanker or bulk carrier; silos and tanks |
| Perishable | Product that spoils or expires; much of it needs temperature control | Meat, dairy, flowers | Reefer trailer and cold room; if it doesn't need cold, rotation by expiry date |
| Hazardous | Substances or articles that can explode, burn, poison or corrode | Fuel, gases, chemicals | Packaging and labels by hazard class, plus its own shipping documents |
| Oversize | Indivisible pieces that exceed a standard vehicle's weight or dimension limits | Machinery, transformers | Special trailers, with a permit and restricted hours |
Palletized and containerized cargo are unitized general cargo: grouped so it moves by machine instead of box by box. How much fits in each rack position depends on the pallet; see pallet sizes in Mexico.
Types of freight trucks in Mexico
If you ship within Mexico, carriers will quote by truck type using local names. Here's what they mean:
| Local name | Classification under NOM-012 | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Camioneta (van or pickup) | Light ones don't meet the standard's definition of a straight truck: six or more tires and a gross weight above 4 t | City and last-mile delivery |
| Rabón | C2: two-axle straight truck | City and regional distribution |
| Tortón | C3: three-axle straight truck | Heavier regional distribution |
| Tráiler (48' or 53' trailer) | T-S, such as T3-S2: tractor with one semitrailer | Long haul, full loads |
| Full | T-S-R, such as T3-S2-R4: tractor pulling two trailers | High-volume trunk routes |
Those names don't appear in the standard. The official classification comes from NOM-012-SCT-2-2017, published in Mexico's Official Gazette (DOF) on December 26, 2017, which sets maximum weights and dimensions on federal highways:
- Width and height: 2.60 m and 4.25 m for any vehicle.
- Trailer length: semitrailers of 48 feet (14.63 m) and up to 53 feet (16.16 m).
- Gross vehicle weight (the vehicle plus its load, not its payload): on the highest road categories, types ET and A, it ranges from 19 metric tons for a C2 to 66.5 for a T3-S2-R4. Lower road categories have lower limits, and a full can't use them without special authorization.
The same standard defines the two ways to book freight: carro por entero, the equivalent of FTL (full truckload), when the whole load belongs to one shipper, and carga consolidada, or LTL (less than truckload), when the carrier combines shipments from several customers in one trip.
An indivisible piece that exceeds those limits falls under NOM-040-SCT-2-2012 (DOF, March 20, 2013): it travels on special vehicle combinations, with a permit and during restricted hours. That's oversize cargo in the strict sense.
Hazardous cargo: it has its own list
In Mexico the reference is NOM-002-SCT-SEMAR-ARTF-2023 (DOF, December 18, 2023), which identifies each dangerous good by its class, from 1 (explosives) to 9, and by its UN number.
The list includes everyday consumer products. Aerosols are in class 2 (UN 1950), perfumery products containing flammable solvents in class 3 (UN 1266), and lithium-ion batteries, whether loose, packed with equipment or installed in it, in class 9 (UN 3480 and 3481).
It also has to be declared in transit. The Carta Porte is the waybill supplement to Mexico's electronic invoice, and the SAT's filling instructions for Carta Porte 3.1 ask whether the goods are hazardous material and, if so, for their code under this standard. More in Carta Porte explained.
Which cargo an e-commerce warehouse handles
An e-commerce warehouse receives in volume and ships unit by unit; bulk is out because without units there's no order to pick. Here's what Ecommex handles, as stated on our own site:
- General and palletized: yes. Pallets going into racks, cartons going out as orders, and pallets built to each retail chain's vendor standards.
- Containerized: yes, on arrival. We receive containers already cleared through customs, unload them and break them down by SKU (deconsolidation). We are not a recinto fiscalizado, a licensed facility that holds goods under customs control.
- Perishable: only if it doesn't need cold. We run a dry warehouse for coffee, snacks, non-perishable drinks and supplements, with lot control and FEFO (first expired, first out). We don't handle refrigerated or frozen goods; cold chain calls for a different type of warehouse.
- Hazardous: no. We don't handle explosives, highly toxic materials or hazardous substances.
- Bulky: yes. We have dedicated zones for oversized pieces. Loads that need a special permit to travel aren't warehouse cargo anymore.
A separate note, because it isn't the same thing: several products common in beauty and electronics catalogs, such as perfumes, aerosols or devices with lithium batteries, are on the NOM-002 list and travel under their own rules. Mention them when you request a quote so their storage and shipping can be planned.
Frequently asked questions
What are the types of cargo?
General (loose, palletized or containerized), bulk, and special cargo, which includes perishable, hazardous and oversize.
What's the difference between general cargo and bulk cargo?
General cargo travels packed in countable units; bulk travels unpackaged and is measured by weight or volume.
What are a rabón and a tortón?
In Mexican trucking, a rabón is a two-axle straight truck (C2 under NOM-012) and a tortón a three-axle one (C3). Both carry the load on their own chassis; neither is a tractor.
If your inventory is general cargo, cartons and pallets that need to be stored, counted and turned into orders, that's exactly what we run across our three sites in the Guadalajara metro area. See how our e-commerce warehousing in Mexico works.