UPS Inc. said today it has launched an integrated ground shipping and brokerage service for heavy freight shipments between the United States and Mexico that offers faster door-to-door transit times than currently provided by less-than-truckload (LTL) operations.

The bi-directional service, called "UPS CrossBorder Connect," will utilize the trucking network that supports the Atlanta-based company's North American airfreight service and will link with selected Mexican carriers along eight U.S. cities on the Mexican border, UPS said. Five of the cities are in Texas, two are in California, and one in Arizona.

UPS said shippers using the service would get their goods to market within three to four days of pickup. Karen Cole, a UPS spokeswoman, said LTL transit times would vary but added the new service will provide a more expedited delivery option for companies operating in the cross-border trade.

"Our research clearly revealed the gaps in service options that exist for today's customers," said Steve Flowers, president of UPS Global Freight Forwarding, in a statement. "With this product, we've improved visibility and predictability, as well as reliability on one of the largest and most important U.S. trade lanes."

Until now, heavyweight freight shipping options in the U.S.-Mexico market were limited to costly airfreight deliveries or less expensive but slower LTL movements, UPS said. As a result, shippers had no "middle ground" between the two services, the company added.