Thread: Longer border waits upset Mexican truckers

Longer border waits upset Mexican truckers
CLAUDINE LoMONACO
Tucson Citizen
NOGALES - Mexican truckers blocked traffic at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales for seven hours Wednesday to protest wait times that have ballooned since the U.S. government implemented a new electronic processing system last month.
At 11 a.m. Wednesday, a group of truckers frustrated after weeks of four- to six-hour waits spontaneously parked their trucks across north- and southbound lanes a half-mile south of the port of entry. Waits during this time of year usually run from an hour and a half to two hours, according to several truckers.
"We had to strike because they've been making us wait so long," said trucker Gerardo Rojas, standing between lanes of stalled traffic. "They don't want us to come in."

Thousands of trucks were stuck on the highway through Wednesday night and most of Thursday.
Since Jan. 25, trucks entering the United States through Arizona, Washington and North Dakota must have electronic manifests as a part of a program called the Automated Commercial Environment, which U.S. Customs and Border Protection developed to strengthen national security and facilitate trade.
"Unfortunately, the system still has kinks," said Allison Moore of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, which is based in Nogales, "and the industry has become the guinea pig to work out those kinks."
Electronic manifests will eventually be required at all U.S. ports of entry.
The protesting truckers questioned why only two or three of the port's lanes were opened for much of the day.
Brian Levin, a spokesman for CBP, said the agency didn't have enough officers to keep the four lanes open all day.
He said the new manifest system was working well, but that agents were having to spend time tracking down missing data when necessary.
He attributed extra wait times to stepped-up security after a threefold increase in marijuana seizures since the first of the year. Last year, customs officials at the Nogales port confiscated 3,000 pounds of marijuana during January and February. So far this year, they have confiscated 9,000 pounds, including 2,700 pounds captured the same day as the strike, Levin said.
"We're out there to do what we can to help facilitate legitimate trade," he said, "but we're also out there for protection to make sure people aren't trying to smuggle in contraband."
The change to electronic filing came during peak Mexican produce season, which, according to the produce association, supplies 80 to 90 percent of Arizona's tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and other vegetables from December through March. Fifty percent of all Mexican produce in the United States enters through the Mariposa port.
During the peak season, 1,500 to 2,000 trucks pass through the port every day.
The quantity of trade through Nogales has outgrown the port's capability, Moore said.
The U.S. Congress is considering bills that would revamp the port, Moore said.
Representatives from the produce association stepped in to help mediate the strike and organized a two-hour meeting with CBP officials Wednesday.
Truckers and CBP officers agreed to meet on a regular basis about truckers' concerns, Moore said.
Truckers opened up the highway after the meeting ended at 6 p.m., but the truck lanes close at 7 p.m., so most truckers spent the night in their cabs.
"It was really cold," said Francisco Lopez, who was transporting cucumbers from Sinaloa.
"I didn't eat dinner. I still haven't eaten breakfast. This is a mess," he said as he finally inched his truck up to the port of entry Thursday afternoon.
Lopez, 58, supports his five children on $300 he earns every week. He hoped the strike would pressure the United States to reduce wait times, he said.
"Losing time in these lines means I lose money," he said.
Jose Durazo, who owns 22 trucks and attended the meeting with CBP officials, said the waits aren't always so bad.
"(Two weekends ago), it went pretty quick," he said. "I think all the port workers wanted to rush home to watch the (the Super Bowl), so they worked really fast. So you see, it can be done."
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/42174.php

Gee, if it weren't for that RARE driver that cheets the system and carries 2700 lbs of marijuana along with his produce, it would be a perfect system...NOT.






You must see the related story about the guy using the program who was halling 2700 lbs of dope with his veggies. And the Mexcian truckers are mad at us?

Let them wait. Time to pay the piper for all the illegal nonesense that you and your countrymen have been pulling in the US.


Keep you drugs out of this country. Sell your veggies and fruit and then go home!

Let them wait till hell freezes over!
Sell your veggies and fruit in Mexico...because I will go hungry before I eat that crap! Hell I will freaking eat grub worms first with a Mars bar

And let me add
I have all ready lost someone I loved to a Mexican trucker...I really don't give a rats arse if you wait to the end of TIME!!!!!!

"We had to strike because they've been making us wait so long," said trucker Gerardo Rojas, standing between lanes of stalled traffic.

HAD TO STRIKE?!!
WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!!

"They don't want us to come in."

YOU GOT THAT RIGHT #!#%$!!!!
NOT WITHOUT BEING CHECKED THOROUGHLY BY USA CUSTOMS!

OH THAT'S RIGHT, YOU DON'T RESPECT AMERICAN RULES --- YOU JUST PULL OUT YOUR HATEFUL REVOLT TACTICS!! YOU JUST WAIT TILL YOU TRY TO DRIVE UP YOUR TEXAS SUPERHIGHWAY AND SEE WHO IS BLOCKING THE ROAD THEN!!

1,500 to 2,000 trucks pass through the port every day.

Ah....Mr President...are these jobs that Americans are not willing to do??????????????????????????? Are you kidding me???????????????

See folks before the Mexicans dropped the loads to the American Drivers... at the border....but now that want to drive these loads all the way to the vendor ...like Wal-fart etc...see they will run for 13-14 cents a mile while the American driver with their many rules and much training get 29-40cents...which has dropped because the health insurance is now four times more...so you see the Companies love these guys..cuz they come cheap for now...but soon the will DEMAND...after the American drivers have been destroyed

redbadger wrote:

...but soon the will DEMAND...

Seems to me they're already demanding.

Do all Mexican nationals think striking is the silver bullet that cures all?

The longer the jerks are held up at the border, the longer it will take their grossly overloaded trucks to crumble our bridges and overpasses here in Texas.

Originally Posted by mapwife

"We had to strike because they've been making us wait so long," said trucker Gerardo Rojas

Stay on the other side of the border then Gerardo. Problem solved.

Originally Posted by redbadger

1,500 to 2,000 trucks pass through the port every day.

Ah....Mr President...are these jobs that Americans are not willing to do??????????????????????????? Are you kidding me???????????????

See folks before the Mexicans dropped the loads to the American Drivers... at the border....but now that want to drive these loads all the way to the vendor ...like Wal-fart etc...see they will run for 13-14 cents a mile while the American driver with their many rules and much training get 29-40cents...which has dropped because the health insurance is now four times more...so you see the Companies love these guys..cuz they come cheap for now...but soon the will DEMAND...after the American drivers have been destroyed

NASCO SUPER HIGHWAY & SPP/NAU