Mexican transport companies, especially those located along the border, are experiencing a staffing crisis as American companies offer salaries up to 200% more and in a context of less danger, warned this Monday the National Chamber of Freight Transport (Canacar).
Canacara national president Miguel Ángel Martínez Millán told EFE in Ciudad Juárez that the situation is already creating a problem for the movement of goods throughout Mexico, as the shortage has increased to 56,000 units. driversdespite the fact that they undergo ongoing operator training.
“The most striking problem we face is lack of operators, this is what hurts us the most today. As you well know, the income of the national operator, compared with income from the United States, is very low and this does not allow us to retain them, and we cannot pay the income that the American side pays, and we are looking for models and forms of retention,” he said he is the leader of the national transport union.
He added that those driving to the U.S. earn about 200% more than the highest driver salaries in Mexico.
Manuel Sotelo Suarez, Regional Vice President for Border Affairs National Chamber of Freight Transportstated that in Juarez alone there is a shortage of more than 1,000 operators out of the 56,000 needed nationwide.
“We train operators, about 30 people quit every month, who, after completing the courses, must pass in order to get their licenseand then we will have to take them to our yards to teach them how to ride our tractors“, Sotelo Suarez pointed out.
He noted that, unfortunately, many of those who They go to work in the USA they do this using B1 visaswhich are intended for business and tourism, and not for work, which does not give them legal certainty.
He added that the driver shortage has been accumulating for five years, during which time they have been unable to provide the necessary accommodations for operators to prevent them from commuting to work in the US, risking their immigration status.
Insecurity is a key factor in driver shortages
National President Kanakara noted that the issue insecurity in Mexico She also began working against drivers who decided to go to work in the United States, even without the necessary documents.
“Insecurity is definitely a factor that affects us because the crimes are becoming more aggressive, the operator is suffering more and it makes it impossible for us to do jobs like Driver– said the specialist.
He added that the biggest burden crimes against motor vehicles cargo is distributed in 10 states: Mexico State, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Puebla, San Luis Potosi and Michoacan.
Another issue that they are working on, according to him, is creating decent conditions for drivers to rest and updating the vehicle fleet, since there are still tractors with 40 years of experience that do not have air conditioning or the comfort measures that they have drivers. In the United States.
EFE
Source: Aristegui Noticias
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
