American trucking companies are facing stiff competition from Mexican truckers who are allegedly exploiting B-1 visitor visas to secure delivery contracts.
These Mexican truckers, who are willing to work for lower wages, are reportedly snatching up contracts after American truckers deliver a load from Mexico.
A former owner of a trucking company, who chose to close his business in December, expressed his frustration to FreightWaves.com. There was no reason to try and keep up with the B-1 drivers nonsense no one really understands whats happened, and theres too many [business] interests in between, he lamented.
According to Breitbart, another owner-operator, who runs a regional hauling business, echoed these sentiments. Look at I-35 coming out of Laredo: All you see is the Mexican trucks coming across going north, and nine out of 10 trucks are B-1 drivers; its just getting out of hand, he said. He further explained his inability to compete with the B-1 drivers, stating, You have a lot of B-1 drivers, they take less pay, and you lose work because they can get the work. I cant afford to drop down on my rates. Nobody will be making money, right?
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) legalized the delivery of Mexican cargo to U.S. destinations by Mexican drivers, who are then expected to return home. However, many Mexican drivers reportedly use their B-1 visitor visas to stay in the United States for extended periods, during which they illegally deliver U.S. cargo from sellers to buyers.
A vast majority of people have jumped into this in the last few years, and theyre cheating the system and nobodys doing anything about it, said the owner of a trucking company. The Mexican drivers are said to secure cargo contracts directly from brokers or U.S. companies that illegally hire them due to their willingness to work for lower wages. Some Mexican companies are even establishing subsidiaries in the United States to help secure orders for these illegal migrant drivers.
In Canada, truckers are reportedly using the H-2A agricultural worker visa to take trucking jobs in Maine. On April 10, the American Trucking Association appealed to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for assistance in enforcing the B-1 visa rules by the Department of Homeland Security.
FreightWaves suggested that the government could verify drivers work authorization at weigh stations along the cabotage routes. They could check them at the scale houses along I-35, a South Texas fuel hauler suggested. They definitely have enough manpower. They could check them if they wanted to."
The surge of migrant drivers was reportedly encouraged by President Joe Bidens Cuban-born, pro-migration border chief, Alejandro Mayorkas. His anti-border policy has allegedly depressed wages and reduced companies incentives to invest in wage-boosting productivity.
Trucking companies, retailers, and producers have quietly welcomed the influx of illegal aliens, justifying the problem with claims that they cannot hire Americans for trucking jobs. However, the shortage of American drivers is reportedly caused by Mayorkass surplus of foreign drivers. The extensive use of foreign drivers is said to be reducing wages and worsening working conditions, leading young Americans to quickly abandon trucking jobs.
The dearth of experienced American drivers is reportedly causing a spike in deadly accidents. WKYT.com reported on May 9 that a 54-year-old man was killed while loading a vehicle onto his tow truck when he was hit by a commercial truck. The driver, a 29-year-old man from Brooklyn, New York, was allegedly watching YouTube on a tablet at the time of the crash and attempted to hide it during the investigation.
In another incident reported by ABC6OnYourSide.com, a New York man was arrested after driving a semi-truck through a golf course in Columbus, Ohio. The man reportedly told deputies he was lost and could not provide a coherent reason why he would be driving a semi-truck through a golf course.
In response to these issues, President Donald Trump and Secretary Duffy have begun to tighten standards and enforcement. For instance, Trump directed Duffy to remove drivers from the road if they cannot speak and write in English. This move is seen as a step towards ensuring the safety of American roads and preserving the integrity of the trucking industry.
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