Why it issues: Rising U.S.-Mexico freight demand is colliding with a shrinking pool of B-1 drivers that might push trucking charges increased, lengthen border crossing delays and drive shippers to rethink how they transfer freight by means of gateways reminiscent of Laredo, Texas.
A scarcity of B-1 visa drivers is tightening U.S.-Mexico trucking capability and contributing to freight backlogs in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, as cross-border demand continues to develop, in accordance with Uber Freight.
Zeid Houssami, senior vice chairman at Uber Freight, stated elevated enforcement involving B-1 drivers has escalated since earlier this 12 months, decreasing the pool of drivers accessible to maneuver northbound freight from Mexico into the U.S.
“There’s a basic driver scarcity proper now available in the market, because it pertains to northbound cargo,” Houssami advised BigRig.
The capability squeeze comes as northbound freight demand continues to outpace southbound volumes, creating an imbalance that has develop into more and more tough for carriers to handle.
“There are great backlogs of cargo proper now forming in Nuevo Laredo,” Houssami stated. “Carriers are being opportunistic. They’re utilizing this market as a possibility to maximise their margins as a lot as potential.”
Houssami stated carriers are utilizing income administration methods to find out which prospects obtain restricted capability.
The issue isn’t a scarcity of trucking gear, he stated.
“For each driver, there’s one thing like 9 trailers accessible,” Houssami stated. “There’s loads of precise capability to place freight in. It’s a matter of simply really transporting it throughout the border.”
SONAR knowledge exhibits north, south imbalance in Laredo capability
BigRig SONAR knowledge suggests home truckload capability originating in Laredo has loosened in latest weeks, at the same time as cross-border B-1 driver availability stays constrained.
Laredo’s tender rejection price fell from 12.24% on July 24 to six.93% on Aug. 24, approaching balanced market situations. The divergence suggests the capability downside could also be concentrated within the cross-border phase wanted to maneuver freight from Mexico into the U.S., somewhat than a broader scarcity of vehicles accessible to haul freight north from Laredo.
Uber Freight not too long ago cited Federal Motor Service Security Administration knowledge exhibiting the variety of lively Mexican-domiciled southern border carriers declined 6.3% between Dec. 26 and June 26. The corporate stated stricter cabotage enforcement and English-language proficiency necessities are seemingly contributing to the decline.
Houssami stated carriers are additionally reporting that B-1 visa renewals have develop into tougher and that some drivers are reluctant to cross into the U.S. due to elevated scrutiny of their earlier operations.
On the identical time, demand for cross-border freight stays robust.
Uber Freight stated the worth of commerce transferring by means of Port Laredo elevated 19.36% 12 months over 12 months in Might, whereas produce exports by means of Laredo rose 8% in the course of the second quarter.
“While you couple that with a driver scarcity, you see price ranges taking pictures by means of the roof,” Houssami stated, including that spot-market charges are considerably outpacing contract charges.
Mexican carriers look south for brand spanking new drivers
Mexican trucking corporations are responding to the motive force scarcity by recruiting farther south in Mexico, Houssami stated.
Carriers are relocating recruits to coaching academies the place they will enhance their English proficiency and be taught the necessities essential to function as B-1 drivers.
“They’re recruiting drivers from the south of Mexico, relocating them into completely different academies and creating their English expertise, educating them on B-1 necessities and actually giving them the coaching and instruments that they should develop into B-1 certified drivers,” Houssami stated.
The technique represents a longer-term funding somewhat than a direct resolution to the capability scarcity.
Houssami stated one of many greatest questions for the rest of 2026 might be how shortly Mexican carriers can convey that new provide of certified drivers into the market.
“I believe that’s going to be a wild card,” he stated.
Transloading affords different to B-1 capability
Uber Freight can also be encouraging shippers to rethink how freight strikes by means of Laredo.
In its Aug. 13 cross-border market replace, the corporate described B-1 capability as a “structural” constraint and stated the prevailing driver pool is now not able to absorbing market progress. Export hundreds in Nuevo Laredo are more and more being delayed whereas ready for northbound B-1 drivers, in accordance with the corporate.
One different is transloading freight in Laredo.
Underneath that mannequin, a Mexican driver strikes the cargo to the border, the place the freight is transferred into one other trailer and hauled north by a U.S. driver. That successfully permits shippers to faucet a a lot bigger driver pool somewhat than ready for B-1 capability.
Uber Freight stated transloading can decouple export actions from the provision of northbound B-1 drivers, doubtlessly stopping freight from changing into stranded on the border.
Houssami stated the price of transloading will be roughly similar to direct B-1 service relying on the lane, however adoption has been slower than Uber Freight anticipated.
The most important impediment is threat.
Transloading requires further dealing with as freight is unloaded, staged and reloaded, growing potential publicity to cargo injury and theft.
“We anticipated that to be extra broadly adopted all through the trade,” Houssami stated. “It actually hasn’t been.”
Some shippers as a substitute seem prepared to tolerate delays in Laredo whereas ready for direct capability.
Greater-value shipments are one exception. Houssami stated some prospects are utilizing transloading when the working-capital value of leaving costly freight sitting on the border outweighs issues about further dealing with.
“For these shippers, velocity is extra necessary than value,” he stated.
Nearshoring investments gradual amid commerce uncertainty
The B-1 driver scarcity isn’t the one uncertainty confronting cross-border provide chains.
Uber Freight stated shippers proceed to navigate altering tariff insurance policies, potential rules-of-origin modifications and uncertainty surrounding the way forward for the United States-Mexico-Canada Settlement. Regardless of these issues, the corporate’s community knowledge exhibits freight volumes stay regular throughout North America.
Houssami stated tariff volatility has develop into virtually routine for a lot of companies, however uncertainty over the longer term U.S.-Mexico commerce relationship seems to be affecting longer-term funding choices.
“We’ve undoubtedly seen a slowdown with a few of the nearshoring efforts that we noticed during the last 5 years,” Houssami stated.
A number of Uber Freight prospects have indicated they’re slowing manufacturing expansions in Mexico till there may be higher readability about future commerce guidelines, he stated.
Houssami doesn’t anticipate the B-1 capability downside to vanish quickly, notably if demand stays robust and the U.S. maintains stringent visa necessities.
“It’s in all probability going to worsen earlier than it will get higher,” he stated.
For shippers, Uber Freight recommends enhancing quantity forecasts, utilizing spot-market capability to complement contract carriers when needed and contemplating transloading to entry capability that doesn’t depend upon B-1 drivers.
“Contract charges aren’t all the time getting prioritized, and tender acceptances are low,” Houssami stated.
Regardless of the challenges, Uber Freight hasn’t seen a major decline in general Mexico freight demand. Houssami stated the corporate’s cross-border portfolio stays robust, whereas an earlier shift of some freight from over-the-road trucking to intermodal seems to have stabilized.
The constraint stays getting sufficient drivers to maneuver rising volumes throughout the border.
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