Abel Espino
Mexico City
“I would like it, but it would be hard for American drivers, who aren’t used to our highways. The tolls are expensive, also.”
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Facundo Monje
“I think it’s bad they won’t let us in. We can do the same thing they can, so they should let us in. These trucks are imported. Do they seem bad to you? They make four times what we make, so they want to keep the border closed. They only drive eight hours; we drive 24 hours a day, with only about four hours of sleep. The United States is the 100 percent beneficiary of all the cargo we transport. What is the problem with our trucks and drivers?”
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Franciso Torres
Mexico City
“Nafta would give us justice. We don’t want a lot more money. We just want some fairness.”
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Martin Garcia
“If the border were open, I would earn more. There would be a lot more inspections. If your truck is new, no problem. But it could be expensive for you if your truck is old.
There’s a little racism in the United States. If they find something very tiny that’s wrong with your truck, and you’re Mexican, they will make a very big deal out of it. But it’s your country, so I have to do what you say. The majority of trucks are good, not dangerous.”
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Juan Manuel Flores
“It’s true we have no maximum number of hours we can work, but we only get paid 59 cents a kilometer (about 10 cents per mile). It seems we could make more money if the border were open.”
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Yair Monroyi
“Mexican roads are a little dangerous because the trucks are so variable. Some are fast, and some are slow. I transport glass. It would be a good opportunity for me. I’d like to get to know the United States, but not live there.”
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Juliojorge Hernandez Zacatecas
“I think it would be a good thing. This is a very peaceful country. Not violent. If you commit a crime, they incarcerate you. If I were to run someone over in the States, they would kill me with a lethal injection. The Federales are much more laid back here. Just give them 20 pesos (about $2), and they’re gone.”
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Manuel Cardona Torreon
“There would be a lot more money for us. They would pay us more to go there.”
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Danny Fields
Bucklin, Mo.
Warren Transport, Waterloo, Iowa
“We’ve got enough trouble up here with American trucks. I’m for free trade, but I don’t approve at all of having their rickety, old trucks up here running over our people. If they open the border, they’ll be able to deliver Mexican freight to where I deliver, so I’ll be out of a job, and I don’t dig that. I don’t like them using our highways with their rickety, old trucks.”
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Michael Cole
Flint, Mich.
“I say pay the Mexicans a decent wage. I’ve heard some scary things about their roads. The only ones that are good are the toll roads. The secondary roads are bad. Why should we have to wait hours at the border?”
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Rob Coleman
Valparaiso, Fla.
“Why not have the border open? If the border were open, we would go down and pick up our own stuff, as long as they have to meet the same DOT regulations that we do. We have to conform to their rules; they should go by our standards, too. Turnabout’s fair play.”
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Stan Swindell
Silver Springs, Texas Stevens Transport, Dallas
“I think NAFTA sucks. It doesn’t do the American trucker any good at all. It’s just going to let the Mexican and Canadian truckers in here to take our jobs. Their equipment’s not up to snuff. They don’t understand U.S. laws and regulations. [DOT’s] willing to overlook a lot of stuff they’ll nail us to the wall for. If we go down there, I guarantee we’d be subject to the same laws.”
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Vince Davila
(Laredo, Texas)
“If they let them in, have them get U.S. CDLs, because Mexican drivers can’t drive well. They don’t care. They flip over all the time. They’re crazy.”
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Al Kerr
Listowel, Ontario
Landstar Ranger,
Jacksonville, Fla.
“It would be a whole lot easier if the border were open. I don’t know. I’d drive down there. It can’t be any worse than Atlanta or New York. You just gotta have common sense. If the border were open, it would change. Things would progress down in Mexico. The Canadian border is still not open enough.”
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David Adams
Listowel, Ontario
Landstar Ranger,
Jacksonville, Fla.
“There’s all that stuff we have to go through at the border. It’s a lot of time and paperwork. I don’t know if I’d drive down there, though.”
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Mike Brady
Duncan, Okla.
“I don’t think it should happen because Mexico is such a poverty-stricken country compared with us. If I go down there and make a wrong move, a minor traffic infraction could put you in jail. It would be real easy for an American driver to get into trouble. I’ve seen these Mexican drivers in Nogales – they’ve got no respect for laws, the rules of the road. They do what they want at lights.”
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Kay McConnell
Commercial Shuttle
Service, Albany, Ga.
“In our town, one plant has closed to do it cheaper down in Mexico. In trucking, too, it will put us out of jobs because they’ll drive for less. If they can get a job making 10 cents more, they’ll take it.”
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Loring Campbell
Quebec, Canada
“I don’t think their trucks are up to standards. They have to abide by our laws. Their rates are so low. We’re in a bad enough spot now.”
