Borderlands Mexico is a weekly rundown of developments on the earth of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and commerce. This week in Borderlands Mexico: Trucker protest raises stakes in Mexico-US B-1 visa dispute; CBP pronounces extended-hours program for empty trailers at Laredo bridge; and Crucial Logistics expands El Paso footprint with RM Customhouse Brokers deal.
Trucker protest raises stakes in Mexico-US B-1 visa dispute
Trucking business leaders in Mexico are intensifying requires U.S. officers to make clear how B-1 visa guidelines are being enforced towards cross-border truck drivers, warning that continued uncertainty might disrupt freight flows between Mexico and the US.
Officers with Mexico’s Nationwide Chamber of Freight Transportation (CANACAR) say Mexican drivers are dropping their visas after encounters with U.S. officers involving alleged cabotage violations, however carriers lack clear details about how eligibility and violations are being decided at totally different border crossings.
The dispute spilled into public view Thursday when truck drivers blocked business visitors on the Mexicali, Mexico-Calexico East (California) border crossing in protest of visa revocations.
CANACAR officers in neighboring Tijuana have urged drivers there to not stage comparable blockades, warning that shutting down extra border crossings would improve the financial influence.
Alfonso Millán Chávez, CANACAR delegate for Tijuana, Tecate and Playas de Rosarito, mentioned the group and different enterprise teams are in search of conferences with U.S. and Mexican officers to ascertain clearer protocols governing visa revocations tied to alleged cabotage, reported Uniradio Informa México.
Millán mentioned disagreements can come up over what constitutes a prohibited home motion within the U.S., together with how officers deal with the motion of empty trailers.
“Generally we have now had issues with the interpretation, for instance with an empty trailer,” Millán mentioned in accordance with El Sol de Tijuana. “The empty trailer is there to be loaded with merchandise, and a few officers interpret the empty trailer as merchandise.”
Cabotage usually refers to transportation between two factors throughout the identical nation by a international provider. Mexican truck drivers utilizing B-1 visas are permitted to haul worldwide freight into and out of the U.S., however usually can not carry out point-to-point home U.S. freight actions.
Millán mentioned CANACAR needs U.S. authorities to ascertain protocols for visa actions involving suspected cabotage and supply dependable statistics displaying what number of drivers have misplaced their visas.
CANACAR estimates greater than 25,000 visas have been revoked from business drivers alongside Mexico’s northern border, together with probably 4,000 within the Tijuana space. The figures are CANACAR estimates based mostly on reviews from its members and social media, nevertheless, relatively than official U.S. authorities statistics. The group has sought info from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico and U.S. State Division.
Associated: Mexican truckers block California border crossing over B-1 visa crackdown
Visa dispute reaches boiling level in Mexicali
The stress intensified Thursday when truckers protested on the Mexicali business port of entry over what drivers described as a rise in B-1 visa revocations.
Millán mentioned CANACAR had anticipated rising frustration amongst drivers.
“We perceive the desperation of the drivers, and as a chamber and as an business, I believe we have now been anticipating this over the previous couple of months,” Millán mentioned. “There hasn’t been per week after we haven’t raised the problem with numerous authorities in each Mexico and the US.”
CANACAR is nonetheless urging drivers to pursue negotiations relatively than develop the demonstrations to Tijuana.
Millán referred to as for Mexico’s Inside Ministry and Ministry of International Affairs to intervene with U.S. authorities, saying the dispute in the end requires a binational resolution. He mentioned CANACAR has already raised the problem with the U.S. Embassy and State Division.
“My hope is that it doesn’t prolong to Tijuana,” Millán mentioned of the protests. “The concept is that we be cautious with this challenge.”
He added that CANACAR has persistently favored dialogue over actions that interrupt cross-border commerce.
Ismael Reyes de la Rosa, a CANACAR official in Mexicali, has additionally raised issues about how U.S. officers are dealing with B-1 visas on the border, as drivers search higher readability over what actions might set off cancellation or revocation.
The rising concern shouldn’t be restricted to Baja California. Israel Delgado, CANACAR’s vice chairman for Mexico’s northwest area, has warned that visa losses might have an effect on time-sensitive shipments together with medical merchandise, expertise, meals and perishables shifting from Mexico into the U.S.
Business warns of provide chain results
The visa dispute is starting to ripple past trucking firms.
José Luis Contreras Valenzuela, president of the Affiliation of Industrialists of Mesa de Otay, mentioned the state of affairs has contributed to delays in incoming provides and deliveries of completed merchandise.
Federico Serrano Bañuelos, president of Index Zona Costa, mentioned firms that outsource transportation companies are notably uncovered. Enterprise teams are in search of to raise the problem to Mexico’s Ministry of International Affairs for diplomatic discussions with U.S. officers, in accordance with El Sol de Tijuana.
The dispute comes as cross-border freight exercise within the Tijuana area is already under earlier peaks. Millán not too long ago mentioned roughly 3,000 export vehicles are crossing each day, in contrast with as many as 4,500 throughout stronger intervals. He mentioned freight volumes fell practically 30% in 2025 earlier than bettering considerably this yr.
Millán mentioned English-language proficiency enforcement, one other latest concern for Mexican drivers working within the U.S., has turn into much less of an instantaneous downside domestically. He mentioned CANACAR had not not too long ago acquired reviews of drivers being positioned out of service for English proficiency violations.
“The present problem is the revocation of visas for cabotage points,” Millán mentioned, including that such violations are generally interpreted “in a really drastic approach.”
CBP pronounces extended-hours program for empty trailers at Laredo bridge
Port of Laredo, in coordination with Nuevo León’s Border Zone Growth Company, will start a 90-day program extending weekday working hours for empty tractors and trailers on the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge starting Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, mentioned U.S. Customs and Border Safety.
Underneath this system, weekday operations for empty vehicles and trailers will start one hour earlier, at 7 a.m., and proceed till midnight, Monday by way of Friday. Present weekday working hours are 8 a.m. to midnight.
This system is meant to alleviate morning northbound visitors congestion from Colombia, Nuevo León, to Laredo, Texas.
Program particulars:
- Efficient date: Monday, Sept. 14
- Length: 90 days
- Present weekday hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-midnight
- Revised weekday hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-midnight
- Relevant visitors: Empty tractors and trailers solely
Crucial Logistics expands El Paso footprint with RM Customhouse Brokers deal
Crucial Logistics has joined forces with El Paso, Texas-based RM Customhouse Brokers, increasing the logistics supplier’s customs brokerage and cross-border capabilities alongside the U.S.-Mexico border, in accordance with a information launch.
RM Customhouse Brokers, whose historical past dates to 1948, supplies customs brokerage, commerce compliance, bonded warehousing and cross-border logistics companies. Its El Paso operations mix customs clearance, storage and distribution companies within the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez commerce hall.
“El Paso is a vital addition to our community and provides our prospects one other vital gateway for U.S.-Mexico commerce,” Crucial Logistics CEO Dante Fornari mentioned in a press release.
Fornari mentioned the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez area contains greater than 330 maquiladora vegetation and handles practically $150 billion in annual commerce, making the market a serious North American manufacturing and cross-border freight hub.
RM President and co-owner Elvia Miles Doyle mentioned becoming a member of Crucial will enable the corporate to keep up its current buyer relationships whereas offering entry to a broader vary of logistics companies. RM prospects will proceed working with the identical group whereas having access to Crucial’s customs brokerage, cross-border transportation, international forwarding and built-in logistics capabilities.
Crucial Logistics makes a speciality of expedited transportation, cross-border companies, international forwarding and mission-critical logistics.
Why it issues: Mexican trucking firms depend upon B-1 drivers to maneuver worldwide freight throughout the border, and business leaders warn that unclear or inconsistent enforcement of cabotage guidelines might scale back out there cross-border capability and set off extra protests at main business gateways.
The put up Borderlands Mexico: Trucker protest raises stakes in Mexico-US B-1 visa dispute appeared first on BigRig.