Moving to Baja

[ghostrider421]

My employer in Canada has scored us a pair of visas to work in Baja for the next year or so. Our home will be in LaPaz, Baja Sur.

We will be bringing down our semi-truck/horse trailer and a couple of Siberians. Besides our passports, the visas and vet documentation, what else do we need to bring?

[briansue]

Here are parts of a few articles about Mexican trucks in the US. I show dates and website addresses where the stories can be found. I am not for or against Mexican trucks entering the US. I am for facts as opposed to rumors. Under NAFTA there are agreements between the 3 countries of North America regarding billions of dollars worth of trade between the countries. Sanctions and tariffs were put in place to push for everyone to comply with the agreement. Teamsters in the US do not want Mexican trucks in the US so they spread rumors and misinformation about the Mexican trucks not being safe. These rumors have been picked up by the uninformed as being fact. This is costing billions of dollars to our economy of goods we cannot ship. So here is a bit of the history and some facts. Note the dates. These are selected excerpts from the stories.

Program to allow Mexican trucks on U.S. roads off to slow start

By Mike M. Ahlers, CNN

updated 10:34 AM EDT, Wed September 5, 2012

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/04/us/mexico-trucks/

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Just six Mexican trucking companies are participating in the program so far

As of July, Mexican trucks had made fewer than 100 long-haul trips into the U.S.

U.S. auditors must prepare a congressionally mandated study of the program's safety

The auditors fear with so few participants, they won't be able to complete the study


Under the program, approved Mexican trucks are allowed to carry Mexican goods throughout the United States -- well beyond the commercial zone in border states where they previously had to off-load.

Before receiving permanent long-haul authority, participants must go through a series of inspections and safety evaluations. The program is not open to hazardous material trucks or passenger carriers.

To date, the Department of Transportation says, none of the participating Mexican carriers has had a reportable crash in the United States since joining the program.


Supporters of the program blame the low participation on the temporary nature of the program.

"It's a bit of a 'Catch-22' because the Mexican trucks have been yanked around so long they are hesitant to spend the money on a pilot program," said James Clark, director of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce's Mexico Business Center. "I think they are concerned about making an investment in something that might be temporary."

"Many of them say, 'To hell with it. We have enough business in our own country,'" Clark said.

Clark dismissed concerns that Mexican trucks were less safe than U.S. rigs.

"I think it's a jobs concern disguised as a safety issue," he said. "I mean they can frighten people by saying, 'Oh my God, They'll have these old ramshackled trucks (on U.S. roads).'"

But, he said, that trucks "have to pass the exact same safety standards" as U.S. trucks, and the drivers must be equally qualified.


EDITORIAL: Mexican trucks should keep on trucking in US

http://www.themonitor.com/opinion/the_monitor_view/article_e700bdb2-0469-11e3-b1b2-001a4bcf6878.html

Posted: Wednesday, August 14, 2013 12:02 am

And after two years, it appears that Mexican trucks are fitting in quite nicely. These vehicles are steadily bringing in billions of dollars worth of Mexican goods to U.S. markets and transporting our products to consumers across the border. They aren’t driving us off the road nor breaking down en masse in the middle of roadways — as previously feared.

As sensible trade proponents have insisted all along, Mexican vehicles are typically bought from the same companies that supply U.S. freight lines and, for the most part, are maintained just as well as American trucks. If not, these big rigs would not get past inspection stations at U.S. ports of entry and would be detained at inspection stations along highways in Texas and across the U.S.

Last month alone, 1,006 border crossings were reported from Mexico, drawing 735 inspections. Of all those inspections, just four trucks were taken out of service and four drivers weren’t allowed to continue. That means nearly every truck and driver has all the necessary paperwork and is passing safety inspections.


Bloomberg News

Mexican Truckers Avoiding Border After Presidential Deal

By Jeff Plungis and Eric Martin May 24, 2012

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-05-23/mexican-truckers-avoiding-border-after-presidential-deal

Three drivers and three trucks account for all the crossings to date, Quade said.

In contrast, three U.S. companies have made more than 2,000 trips into Mexico since October, he said.



First Mexican truck set to enter US interior

Electronic devices will track the trucks; drivers must undergo national security and criminal background checks, and pass English exams

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44971132/#.UmlZP3CsiSo

By JULIE WATSON


10/20/2011 10:52:35 AM ET
The first Mexican carrier is set to roll into the U.S. interior Friday, but the Teamsters union and two California congressmen haven't given up on stopping the cross-border trucking program that had been stalled for years by safety concerns and political wrangling.

Transportes Olympic's long-haul truck will cross the border Friday at Laredo, Texas, and head about 450 miles north to Garland, Texas, to deliver industrial equipment, said Guillermo Perez, the transport manager at the firm in the industrial Monterrey suburb of Apodaca, about two hours south of Laredo.

He dismissed claims that Mexican trucking companies and their drivers do not meet U.S. safety standards. He said his company has a strict, random drug testing policy for its 61 drivers and it has bought more than a dozen trucks in the past two years.

U.S. inspectors will check the trucks Thursday and will also have a database on truckers who have been approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Perez said.

"It's a really controlled program. There's no way to avoid the law," he said. "We are really prepared for this. It's not weird for me that some (U.S. trucking) companies are willing to shut it down because now they have to compete with us."

"The U.S. has been in violation of the NAFTA agreement ever since the beginning of the trucking issue," he added. "Mexican trucks have every right to come into the U.S. under NAFTA as long as the trucks are fully inspected to U.S. standards and the drivers speak English."

Supporters say especially strict safeguards have been implemented: Electronic devices will track the routes drivers take, how long they drive and how long they rest.

Participating drivers must undergo national security and criminal background checks, and inspectors will administer oral English-proficiency exams.

Three U.S. trucking companies have been given the green light under the program to drive into Mexico, according to the Mexican government.

[silversand]

....in support of BrianSue:

Dateline Oct 2011: Associated Press

1st Mexican Trucks to Enter US Interior Within Days:

"Washington on Friday approved the first Mexican trucking company, Transportes Olympic, nearly two decades after the hotly contested provision of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement set off lawsuits and a costly trade dispute between the neighboring countries."

Read all about it, here-->

😉

The safety checks and secondary checks are brutal; no problem with Mexican drivers or trucks approved.

[briansue]

CORRECTION - CLARIFICATION.......

I received a PM about the Mexican trucks - I do not respond well to these kinds of PMs and generally block the sender - this is a forum and all comments should be addressed to the entire forum - that is what a forum is about....

Yes, Mexican trucks do enter the US at almost every border crossing. They then proceed to warehouses, terminals, distribution centers, customs houses, within a few miles of the border. A specific route within a specific time frame. Once there they either unload or swap trailers - and then return to Mexico.

These trucks are mostly pre-cleared and permitted a specific destination and route. They do not go further than a few miles into the US. We have seen trucks hauling chilis cross south of Deming and haul all the way to the chili cannery in Deming. Others cross all along the US - Mexico border all day everyday with hundreds of trucks crossing at each crossing everyday.

I could go back to find the stories about Mexican trucks finally being allowed into the US and what the requirements are but I am sure others on this forum who regularly follow the happenings will be well aware of all the facts - instead of the rumors that seem to abound from those who obviously have little to no real knowledge of these things yet insist on posting maligning and derogatory comments about an entire country and its people. Those who feel this way about Mexico and Mexicans probably should not visit as you will probably be very unhappy.

As far as Mexican trucks - Kenworth has had a huge manufacturing plant in Mexicali for decades turning out thousands of trucks for the Mexican truckers and trucking companies. . . . http://www.kenmex.com/index.html . . . they do not have to go to the US to purchase these trucks. If you look at the history you will find Kenworth has been building trucks in Mexico since 1959. Freightliner (Daimler) has been building trucks in Mexico since 1991 . . . http://www.daimler-trucksnorthamerica.com/inside/where-we-work-plants.aspx . . . a great many other US manufacturers including all three of the BIG 3 car companies in the US have huge plants building all kinds of vehicles for the US in MExico. Companies like Caterpillar and John Deere also have huge plants producing motorized equipment for the US market as well as the Mexican market. Lot of tires and all kinds of other automotive equipment is also produced in Mexico.

We do see trucks in the US with both US and Mexican license plates. These are US companies who are also licensed to operate in Mexico. All trucks operating in the US are subject of frequent and unexpected inspections in almost every state. Any suspect vehicle is inspected in almost every state and weigh stations. It may be remotely possible for a Mexican truck to get into the US and to travel more miles than they are supposed to but the odds are slim - there are just too many regulations and weigh stations checking - as well as spot checks. As a former long time trucker I personally know for a fact you cannot travel very far in the US in a commercial vehicle without having to at least clear a weigh station. I think maybe some people out there just like making things up.

[yr2017]

Up until recently Mexican truckers were unable to purchase new trucks in the US. Now they can and the previous rotten rigs are disappearing. Sometimes they slip thru. I've seen one up here in Montana, that wrecked. Delivery paperwork said it was bound for Saskatchewan. Certainly they would have inspected entering Canada and red-tagged it.

[briansue]

North

Mexicans bring their dilapidated class 8's and bald tyres up North

Having been a trucker in the US for quite a few years I am probably more conscious of trucks and truckers than many folks. Yes, I have seen quite a few trucks in Mexico that could use some attention in the area of safety. But most are very good trucks and well maintained by companies and drivers. Most Mexican drivers I have met are excellent drivers and very safety conscious. It was only recently (less than a year?)that the US began to allow Mexican trucks into the US and they have very strict requirements for both the trucks and the truckers. The drivers must speak English and understand US road signs and rules of the road. Their trucks must pass rigid safety inspections just as ours do - (I was inspected almost every time I entered California - as well as several other states - thorough safety inspections and checks with a state certified mechanic rolling around on a creeper under the vehicle checking every brake slack adjuster and all hoses and so on - as well as using a depth meter on any tire they suspect of being worn - while another mechanic climbs all over the rest of the vehicle - any commercial vehicle entering California or the US goes through a similar inspection - in California they were required every 3 months - and I was registered in Indiana with one truck and Colorado with the other - not a California driver or vehicle) So this brings the question - how do these vehicles from Mexico get all the way to the Yukon without going through the US? I know for a fact they would never be allowed in the US.

[yr2017]

ghostrider421 wrote:

sorry ghostrider but it was a logical assumption. Horse trailer usually means horses. You are still going to have problems. Unless your employer can file the proper papers that say the trailer and equipment are for the job in Mexico. I am not familiar with how that is done. Otherwise you never know. You could get to the border and be greeted with open arms or turned away. Good luck. You might contact a Mexican customs broker. There may be a way to pay duty on the trailer and the goods and then get a refund. Moisheh

We will be working with Pemex -

Building the new docks in La Paz?

[ghostrider421]

sorry ghostrider but it was a logical assumption. Horse trailer usually means horses. You are still going to have problems. Unless your employer can file the proper papers that say the trailer and equipment are for the job in Mexico. I am not familiar with how that is done. Otherwise you never know. You could get to the border and be greeted with open arms or turned away. Good luck. You might contact a Mexican customs broker. There may be a way to pay duty on the trailer and the goods and then get a refund. Moisheh

We will be working with Pemex -

[ghostrider421]

Why do you assume I'm bringing horses?

It's a horse trailer that has been customised for work quarters - all 13m of it. We carry all our data recorders, and computer systems in it. No living quarters - which is why our employers rented a nice condo for us and the dogs.

[ghostrider421]

No horses. The KW and trailer is our work unit and supposedly this has been cleared with my employers counterparts in DF.

That's funny = we don't complain when Mexicans bring their dilapidated class 8's and bald tyres up North.

[rocmoc]

I would also recommend asking on Baja Nomads, http://forums.bajanomad.com/

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

[moisheh]

Under normal conditions a commercial vehicle cannot be brought into Mexico. There are exceptions but usually apply to some special circumstance. A KW for your personal use will not be allowed. What about your horses. Have you asked to see if they will be allowed? I bet you have to jump through a lot of hoops.

Moisheh

[rocmoc]

ghostrider421 wrote:
What is your definition of a semi-truck?

The truck is a 1998 Kenworth COE pulling a 43ft living quarters horse trailer. It's a commercial vehicle licensed in the Yukon.

YUP my definition also. Do your homework, this is the biggest hurdle you will encounter IMHO.

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

[ghostrider421]

gjwarneke wrote:
Mexican auto insurance on truck & trailer and carry an inventory list of all items you are taking with you. The list makes it much easier if inspected in the declare lane when you cross the border.

Original title or will a notarised copy do?

[ghostrider421]

What is your definition of a semi-truck?

The truck is a 1998 Kenworth COE pulling a 43ft living quarters horse trailer. It's a commercial vehicle licensed in the Yukon.

[robatthelake]

Definitely check before doing!