Breaking

Intensified U.S. Cabotage Enforcement Threatens Cross-Border Trucking Capacity

Heightened enforcement of U.S. cabotage restrictions is constraining cross-border trucking operations and could reduce available driver capacity, according to Knight-Swift Transportation leadership. The carrier operates the TransMex subsidiary in Mexico and has documented cases where drivers lost work visas over alleged violations from previous employers unrelated to Knight-Swift operations. U.S. authorities have escalated scrutiny of Mexican drivers at the border, including retroactive reviews of cabotage compliance tied to prior carriers. Through TransMex, Knight-Swift maintains strict compliance standards for cross-border transportation, operating over 1,100 tractors and 3,000 trailers. The enforcement trend threatens to discourage Mexican drivers from pursuing U.S. work authorizations, potentially exacerbating capacity constraints in the cross-border freight market. Mexican trucking companies express growing concern about driver attrition from heightened regulatory scrutiny.