DOT: U.S., Mexico trucks to begin cross-border project at same time

Well, if they are going to go forward with this, and send U.S.Truckers to Mexico, I hope that the trucking companies will be completely fair about this and send whoever is up next on the dispatch board, regardless of Race or Sex.

Since there is supposedly nothing to worry about in regards to safety, no reason to pick and choose who goes.

 

Who in their right mind would want to drive into Mexico? Crime is outrageous, your chances of being hijacked and killed is great. Sure you can say it can also happen here in the states but Common its Mexico. The police are paid of by the crooks and is just a standard way of living down there. Opportunities? if the opportunities are so great down there then why are the Mexicans crying to come up here and run our freight? A bunch of hidden political pay offs and agendas.. This is not a good thing for America, it has been proven over and over cheaper labor does not pay in the long run...

 

Actually, there has been one hijacking in Mexico this year. The driver was found dead and the cargo and co driver missing.

Mexico has changed people. It is nothing like what you have been told to expect.

The Mexicans are not crying to come up here. As has been demonstrated this past year that the program has been in force, they come to fulfill contracts of their Mexican customers.

Actually, the American companies participating in the program have made twice as many crossings into Mexico's interior than have the Mexican carriers into the US interior.

You people worry about being asked to drive into Mexico and you worry for nothing. Most of the American carriers participating in the Cross Border Project put bilingual drivers on those runs.

Also, you're not going to be going to far into the country.

For example, your port in Laredo Texas. In all probability, your destination will be Monterrey, 145 miles south on a very modern, very well maintained toll road, that ends at the northern industrial suburbs of Monterrey. At that point, you have a modern 8 lane open access highway into Monterrey.

But it is doubtful you will get that far because most of the industries you would be servicing are within two miles of the end of the toll road. Wal-Mart Mexico, Johnson Controls. Kohler, etc.

You won't be hauling general freight as you do in the US that might go to a grocery warehouse or small production shop. And chances are, you will reload where you delivered.

Any further south than that, and Mexican carriers will probably carry the loads.

But if they don't, and you have to go to Saltillo which 50 miles west of Monterrey, San Luis Potosi, a couple of hundred miles south of Saltillo, Querataro, an old colonial city where Maximillian was executed in the 1800's and now home to industries such as Kelloggs or even down to Toluca where many of the auto plants are on the outskirts of Mexico City, the roads wide, well maintained, some toll, most free. Diesel is plentiful as is food and safe places to pull off and sleep.

You see the Mexican drivers day and night pulled off to the side, sleeper doors and windows open in the summer sleeping.

Personally, this is where I want to end my career. Trucking as it used to be in the US before the DOT got anal about everything.