Guides · Tools and reference to plan your cargo
The data first. Then the truck.
Equipment dimensions, legal weights by country, border crossings, documents and transit times for Central America, each with its source and its review date. And three tools to put your shipment together before you ask for a price.
Build your shipment: no sign-up, no email
Three tools. You choose and you see the result. From the planner you can send the route for a quote with the origin and the destination already filled in.
1,210km
Approx., San José → Guatemala, 4 border crossings
Route planner
Kilometers, border crossings, days and documents on one screen.
- Approximate kilometers by road
- The border crossings on the way, in order and with their hours
- Indicative days, legal weight and documents for the trip
20–21pallets
Indicative: in a 40’ HC, not stacked
Load calculator
Pallets, cubic volume and legal weight by equipment.
- Pallets that fit, by equipment type
- US pallet, Euro pallet or your own size
- What stops you first: the space or the legal weight on the route
24/7
Operations and monitoring
Track a shipment
Follow your cargo live, without calling anyone.
- The truck on the map, live
- The milestones of the trip, with their time
- With your shipment’s link, no username or password
Try the planner with a routeMoín → San JoséSan José → ManaguaSan José → GuatemalaSan José → Panama
Shortcuts: straight to the data
Six facts that are often needed before a shipment. Each shortcut opens the page at the exact spot.
The reference: 11 pages for planning
Tables, dimensions, steps and documents. Each page says where the data comes from and when it was reviewed.
Equipment and weight
Which equipment to ask for and how much you can load on it.
Container types and dimensions
Internal dimensions, tare and payload.
11 containers20’ standard40’ standard40’ HCOpenDry vans, flatbeds and chassis
Which equipment each cargo needs.
8 equipment types48’ dry van53’ dry vanOpenWeights and dimensions by country
What the law lets you carry on the road.
6 countriesOpenRoutes, border crossings and times
Where the truck goes, what it crosses, how long it takes and what is charged if it waits.
Routes from Costa Rica
The corridors to Central America and Panama, one by one.
5 routesOpenCentral America border crossings
Each crossing, with its hours and its corridor.
18 border crossingsOpenTransit times
Days by corridor and what changes them.
9 corridorsOpenDetention and demurrage
Who charges what, and how to avoid it.
Who charges whatDemurrageContainer detentionTruck detentionOpenDocuments and terms
The paperwork for the trip and the words in the contract.
Documents: DUCA-T, waybill
Which document is needed and who issues it.
14 documentsDUCA-TDUCA-FDUCA-DOpenIncoterms 2020
Who books and pays for the inland transport.
11 rulesEXWFCACPTCIPOpenGlossary
From tractor to customs seal.
71 termsSpanish and EnglishOpenFrequently asked questions
What we get asked every day.
24 questions7 topicsOpenNo source, no data.
A weight table without a source is no use for dispatching a truck. That is why every figure in these guides shows where it came from, when it was reviewed and how firm it is.
93
Records on equipment, weights by country, border crossings, ports, routes, restrictions and documents51
Records confirmed in a primary source. The other 42 carry the indicative label280
Sources cited: 84 official, 74 from ports, shipping lines and manufacturers and 122 secondarySeptember 2026
Last review of the dataThe source first
Each figure was first looked up in the country’s regulation, the customs authority, SIECA, the port, the shipping line or the equipment manufacturer. Under each table is the list of sources with their links.
Firm or indicative
What is confirmed in the primary source is presented as firm data. What only has secondary support, or comes with caveats, carries this label and has to be confirmed before dispatch:
What is not known is not made up
If a figure could not be verified, the cell shows a dash or asks you to confirm it with your GoTruck contact. Transit times are always a range with its causes of variation, never a promise.
Reference, not advice.General reference information, checked against official sources on September 30, 2026. It is not legal, customs or commercial advice and does not replace the text of the regulations or the terms of each contract. The rules change: confirm your case with your GoTruck contact and with your customs broker before shipping.
From question to truck: five steps
If this is your first road shipment in the region, this is the order that saves phone calls.
- Choose the equipment
Container, dry van or flatbed: it depends on what you move and how it is loaded.
Container types and dimensions · Dry vans, flatbeds and chassis
- Check the legal weight
Each country sets a maximum based on the truck’s axles. Compare it with the actual weight of your cargo.
- Plan the route
Kilometers, border crossings and indicative days, before you commit to a delivery date.
- Get the documents ready
Which document is needed, who issues it and what your Incoterm says about who books the truck.
- Ask for the truck
With equipment, weight, route and documents clear, the quote comes out right the first time.
Got the data? Ask for the truck.
With equipment, weight, route and documents clear, the quote comes out right the first time. Tell us what you move.