Mexican Trucks Will Mean Lost Loads
I must say you made some good points [in your October Editor's Journal, "Lost in Translation"] about the Mexican trucks being allowed to travel the 48 states.

I myself do not have an issue with the safety of the trucks no more than I do with the U.S. trucks. However, I disagree that the Mexican trucks will not take away U.S. driving jobs. I guess you have not seen the large terminals at borders. All the big U.S. trucking companies have yards down there to relay freight to and from Mexico.

It would seem that at least some of that freight will now be carried by Mexican trucking companies directly.

This is a lost load for a U.S. company, is it not? Not only that but the Mexican driver will have to pick up a load bound for Mexico, which in the past would have been relayed at a border by a U.S. driver. So there are two loads lost to a Mexican company.

Just because they do not replace American drivers does not mean they do not affect U.S. drivers. But let’s not forget that a large investment has been made in Mexican trucking companies by American trucking companies. The big problem with NAFTA is that it is not a two-way street. Nobody in the U.S. is lining up to go to Mexico. But we now have more trucks looking for freight in America.

[Mexican trucks] will affect all aspects of the trucking industry. They can affect rates, take away loads and cause more traffic problems for inexperienced drivers unfamiliar with the United States.
John Scott
Owner-operator, Landstar
Mount Morris, Ill.