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Mexico recognizes the benefit of NAFTA

By May 11, 2017April 6th, 2023No Comments

Mexico’s trucking industry is now Canada’s third-largest trading partner thanks to the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Rogelio F. Montemayor Morineau
Image curtesy of todaystrucking.com

“It has been good to us. It has been good to our economy,” says Rogelio F. Montemayor Morineau, president of the 5,000-member Canacar – Mexico’s national trucking association.

The partnership has benefitted Canada as well. Trade between Mexico and Canada has increased roughly 11% per year.

Mexico is now Canada’s second-largest supplier of auto parts. Exports of goods-moving vehicles has grown about 45.3% per year. Mexico is now the sixth-largest producer of heavy vehicles in the world.

However, Mexico is still faced with other issues. It takes up to 14 hours to drive from the border of Nuevo Laredo to Mexico City, and secure rest areas are few and far between. This makes it difficult to comply with driving time.

Furthermore, there are recruiting challenges to face. Mexico is having trouble finding quality and professional drivers to handle the growing workload.

The new U.S. administration may change screening requirements that will affect freight flows overall.

“They say they want to change NAFTA, but they don’t say what they want to change,” Montemayor Morineau said. “What is really going to happen in the future? I really don’t know about NAFTA.

In the meantime, Mexico remains a manufacturing hub for recognizable brands in the world.

Source: todaystrucking.com