Mexican trucking companies do not have to meet the same driver qualification and truck safety-maintenance or fuel tax regulations as US and Canadian truckers, so the cost of doing business for those companies is lower than for US truckers. Mexican trucking companies make fuel deals with the Mexican government to get huge discounts on fuel and fuel taxes from government. US truckers do not get such discounts.
Mexican truck drivers are content to live in shacks with 20 others, without electricity or running water so they work for about 75% less than their American trucker counter parts.
Mexican truckers have no health care coverage or benefits.
With labor costs lower, safety and maintenance costs lower and fuel costs lower for Mexican truckers, US trucking companies will be driven out of business. ALL of them.
From 1980 through 1992 I was in the US trucking industry. I started as a driver, was promoted into sales, rose into management then rose to become a Divisional Sales Manager for the US and Canada for a wholly-owned subsidiary of ROADWAY Services. I know trucking from the inside out.
If you really want to get a true feel for how fragile the American trucking Industry truly is, consider this: In 1980, the US de-regulated trucking. Within ten years, by 1990, eight of the top ten US trucking companies were gone.
In that same time, countless other small trucking companies opened, didn't know what the real costs of doing business were and not only went bankrupt themselves, but killed other start-up truckers through ignorant pricing.
With Mexican truckers being allowed in the USA starting September 2, EVERY remaining US trucking company can reasonably be expected to go out of business within two years.
If you own stock in ANY major US trucking company, I URGE you to sell that stock immediately. My formal experience tells me US trucking companies will not survive more than another two years.
Violence is being planned
Based on my contacts within the trucking industry, I have good reason to believe that Mexican trucks entering the US will be attacked. I have even more good reason to believe Mexican truckers will be shot at, stabbed, beaten and / or see their truck tires shot out and their trucks fire bombed in truck stops. I look forward to seeing those things happen starting this coming week!
If State Troopers make the mistake of trying to stop this violence, trucker big rigs can simply run over Trooper cars. Even shooting out truck tires won't stop them from crushing police cars! I advise cops that if they value their lives, they should turn a blind eye to what is about to start.
My only hope is that truckers take "action" against the real villains in this situation: Members of the United States House of Representatives and members of the United States Senate. Both those groups are responsible for selling-out Americans through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It is NAFTA that is making it possible for these Mexican trucks to come into the USA and put Americans out of work and truckers out of business. Our own federal government set the stage for this economic disaster and it is our own government that should be punished for what they have done.
If anyone needs the home addresses of Congressmen or Senators to pay them back for NAFTA, reach out to me and I will be happy to tell you where they live.
In fact, I say to all American truckers that you can bring the federal government to its knees on this issue in under one week: Simply stop hauling US military goods. When anyone calls to book loads to or from a military facility, tell them "sorry, we have no trucks available."
Within a week, the US military will be out of supplies and so unable to function they will be screaming to Congress over the issue! Yes, you'll lose some money in the short term, but you're already targeted to be out of business in under two years, so why not fight now while you still can? Why wait until the unfair Mexican competition strips you of all your resources so you are unable to fight back?? Just stop servicing Military (and other government) shipments and the mighty feds will grind to a complete halt!
The feds may tell you that you can be arrested for refusing to service them. Just reply, "That's nice, it still won't get you one of our trucks." When they start getting desperate, they'll threaten to seize your business. Just tell them "That's nice, you still won't get your freight moved."
You see, you're being killed by government right now. It won't be easy to see it happening, but trust me, American truckers are slated for complete destruction on the altar of cheap labor. Either fight them now while you have food on the table and a roof over your head, or be slaves to them once you're financially broken. Better to fight standing up than to serve on your knees.