Laredo and its neighboring Nuevo Laredo thrive on another industry, called drayage. Truck tractors pick up truck freight arriving in one country and transport it across bridges to the other country, where a new carrier completes delivery.
Laredo business leaders are not concerned, however, about the test program for cross-border trucking that started in Setember 2007, where the same driver and same truck can make the crossing and deliver freight in the interior of the other nation.
So far, only about 10 to 20 trucks a day crossing in Laredo are participating in the test program.
Cross-border trucking never will become a widespread practice, because of rules that prohibit Mexican drivers from making another delivery within the United States after making a U.S delivery from Mexico.
Cross-border makes sense only when Mexican drivers can puck up another Mexican-bound load after making a U.S. delivery, Wade explained. Warehousing and logistics operations will not move out of Laredo because the border, where Customs inspections occur, never will move.
FMCSA Administrator Hill said drayage will remain a strong Laredo industry as long as distribution warehouses operate there.
"But for all the goods delivered away from the border, the border system is cumbersome, inefficient and unfriendly to the environment," Hill said. "We want to evaluate the cross-border program with a good sample of vehicles and go from there."
Wade said Laredo's business community wishes the U.S. and Mexican government would make cross-border trucking permanent making the border open to same-driver, same truck deliveries.
"That way everyone will see that it's no big deal," Wade said.
As long as U.S., Mexico, and Asian trade continues to grow, Wade and his Laredo colleagues figure, the big deal on the border will be Laredo.
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