The Mexican Drivers--The Wildcard Scenario

[Tip]

I've been readin' your posts here about the Mexican drivers coming up and taking your jobs. It's not gonna be a problem. However, there is something brewing that may be a big problem for you guys-- Mexican trucking companies being allowed to run the 48. This is definitely a wildcard scenario and you should be worried. This may actually happen.

Someone posted elsewhere what effects American drivers will feel if Mexi-Companies are allowed to range freely over the good ol' USA, and I'll add these points:

If Mexican companies are allowed to run all over, American drivers will be more or less forced to take loads to Mexico. American trucking companies will have to make up for the business they'll lose when the Mexi-companies arrive, and that's the way they'll do it. What fun. Sure, there are decent roads in Mexico, the big road running down from Nogales to Tepic is one of the best. But most of the roads are shoddy, and many non-superhighways have something called a "topes" in the small towns. If you don't know what a "topes" is, just be sure you have good truck seat shocks. You'll have to slow down to a crawl to get over each of those is what I'm saying.

After your run into the land of Pancho Villa, you'll have a nasty surprise waiting for you when you get back to the border. The last time I went back into the US from MexiLand in a vehicle was at Laredo. The Abe Lincoln Bridge there was backed up for 3 miles with trucks in four lanes. Yeap. It'll take you hours to get back into the USA from ol' Mexico in a rig. It may take more than a day. And you can't sleep in the truck while waiting, either. The line may creep, but it does move. It may make waiting at docks seem like a short wait, relatively speaking.

And of course, you know that going to Mexico will be dangerous. Corruption is rampant, and there are pockets that are still controlled by drug lords. Imagine going to a very large ghetto in these areas. And there you'll be with a big ol' load of freight that may be worth hundreds of thousands. Dollars, that is. Not Pesos. Driving at night is not recommended.

And you can't carry a gun into Mexico. You can't even carry ammo.

There are effectively no drunk-driving laws in Mexico. Driving at night is not recommended. I hope you see a pattern here.

Good luck on your Mexico runs, boys. Unless you grow backbones, it'll suck to be you in about five years. You've got to put a stop to this idiot idea that Mexican companies (some of which will be partly owned by the likes of Swift) be allowed to roam over the US. A gringo does NOT want to go to Mexico in a big rig. Trust me.

[Tip]

Of course, all bets are off if some company like Swift establishes a company in Mexico, calls itself a "Mexican" company, and then hires a bunch of gringos to drive its trucks. Don't laugh. This could happen. This "Mexican" company could hire American drivers using incentives, such as offering to find houses for these drivers down across the border. Yeap. This way no one ####### about the "safety" issue or Americans losing their jobs to Mexicans.

Imagine this: you drive for a company based in Mexico (which is really owned by a mixed group of Americans and Mexicans--Americans wouldn't be allowed to be sole owners) which finds you a cheap apartment or house in Tijuana to lure you into one of their trucks. The job wouldn't pay much, but at least your housing is taken care of. They may even help you buy your house or apartment, in case you want to own istead of rent. I can see the sales pitch now in all the help-wanteds and slick hiring magazines (the "dream books" at the truckstops): "We at ____ offer tuition reimbursement and Mexican housing assistance."


If you took this company up on its offer and lived in Tijuana, you'd "go home" by driving your rig to a terminal in Chula Vista, leave it there, hop on the San Diego-Tijuana red rail line going south, cross the border into Mexico, and head to the house. You would never take runs to Mexico. Mexican drivers would do that. How does living on the Pacific coast of Mexico about 50 miles south of Tijuana sound?

This may become the reality, ladies and gents. I can see this scenario developing easily. This is what I'd do if I were somebody like Jerry "Tightwad" Moyes.

[Passin Thru]

When you meet your next Celadon driver, just say Que Pasa! Everyone of them speaks Spanish as far as I know. You think they're from the US? Ther're heeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeee!!!!

[camo]

I'm not going to Mexico unless they armor plate my truck, mount grenade launchers and a couple .50 cal BMG's on my hood.

[danc694u]

Originally Posted by camo

I'm not going to Mexico unless they armor plate my truck, mount grenade launchers and a couple .50 cal BMG's on my hood.

I have to echo your concerns.

I love going to Mexico. But it ain't gonna happen in a truck !!!! There is NO company, and NO amount of money that will get me to enter that country in my truck.

Currently they are developing roads to accomodate the flow of trucks. But they are years away from being remotely close to a reality.

The roads, when complete, will be useless without constant patrolling of the Federalies.

While some of the truckers on the road, like to play "cowboy", I'm not looking forward to the wild wild west, any time soon.

[PackRatTDI]

There's absolutely no waiting for trucks at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry in Santa Teresa, NM. It's consistently quiet. The reason? Most Mexican carriers don't want to have to purchase the NM road tax permit just to use the short road from Santa Teresa to El Paso if they're just going to El Paso, not to mention it's about 40 miles out of the way (both directions). However, loads destined for the interior of the US would be able to make good use of the Santa Teresa POE.

And you can't carry a gun into Mexico. You can't even carry ammo.

You CAN import a gun and ammo into Mexico, but you have to get the appropriate permits. Hunters do it all the time. But truckers aren't allowed to carry guns anyways even in the US so that's really a non-issue.

For that matter, you can't carry a weapon into Canada either.

There are effectively no drunk-driving laws in Mexico.

Not true at all.

Driving at night is not recommended. I hope you see a pattern here.

Depends on the road. The newer roads have reflective striping and road markers and are no more dangerous at night than your average US road. There are older roads where that is not the case, but that's also true in many areas of the US as well.