Any of you done any driving in Mexico? (1 Viewer)

[Nitrohaulic]

What a deal that's probably not going to happen. An agent with the trucking company I'm leased to has a load offered that picks up in Salt Lake City on the 15th and goes to Chetumal, Quintana Roo (way the hell past Alabama!) for the 22nd. Yeah, look it up on mapquest and be ready to zoom out. The bad boy grosses $7,350, of which I'd get about $5,000, out of which I think I could clear about $3,000 after fuel even if I deadhead the 1,400 miles back to Laredo.

I've been googling my a$$ off trying to find info about trucking in Mexico and have come up with diddly. (other than this picture of a typical truck stop. I can't see the Walmart! http://image53.webshots.com/453/8/6...vel/arizona/&track_action=/Shortcuts/FullSize ) I used to walk across the border about twenty years ago when I'd get layed over in Yuma for weekends, but that's it.

The agent didn't know much else about it (other than it's building materials ultimately bound for Cancun and Wikipedia says there's a lot of construction in that state), so I'm betting the company isn't really set up for it insurance-wise. I thought NAFTA only allows each country's trucks to go so far into each other's borders, so I'm wondering registration-wise, too, both of which I'm going to find out tomorrow. I think a shipper called and he just took it without knowing.

Looks like all the fuel in the whole country is sold by the government run Pemex. Found a diesel price of 1.91 a gallon in Tijuana and a note saying the whole country should be close to that

 

[Todd Tvetene]

Driving in Mexico

The Only Driving i have done In Mexico is in Puerto Vallarta. The rule of thumb seems to be if i can somehow get in front of you i have the right way, I doesnt matter that you are going 50Mph and i am taking a right at 5 Mph. I win
what i do know is that most traffic accidents are somewhat considered "criminal" vs here where they are civil cases unless drivers are drinking and what not.If you get into a fender bender of any type you will most likely be taken to the police station so be ready to bribe your way of jail.

Also I have heard it is not a good idea to drive at night since the cattle are all free range and have a habit of laying on the road way because the blacktop is nice and warm from the days sun

 

[sharkman]

Ron, It could be a good deal for you but "buyer beware" I don't know too much about trucking in Mexico but in the Bus Business it was a rough ride past the border, You would be delivering building supplies for the region that was torn up from the hurricanes last fall. there are no "truckstops" and the roads are really bad past a few miles, if not sooner. Take your most reailable truck and be prepared for an adventure. It will pay well though, If it were last Month I'd ride along just to do it but I'm back at work now. Good Luck

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Yeah, I found the drive at daytime advice to avoid cattle AND criminals. Also that if you only speak English to a cop even if you do know a little Spanish (making up whatever to talk about because he doesn't know what you're saying), that he'll get frustrated and just let you go, otherwise he'll hit you for the bribe. I can see standing there saying "I don't KNOW what tea in China is going for today!"

Also found one that says if you're a truck and you put your left turn signal on in the boonies, that it's a sign for traffic behind to come on around. What do you do if you ARE turning left? I guess NOT putting it on is the signal for that! When in Rome.

This thing's probably not going to happen, but looking into it has been as fun of a diversion as it has been tedious. If the stars did line up, she's going with me and we'll take a few days off once there.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Ron, It could be a good deal for you but "buyer beware" I don't know too much about trucking in Mexico but in the Bus Business it was a rough ride past the border, You would be delivering building supplies for the region that was torn up from the hurricanes last fall. there are no "truckstops" and the roads are really bad past a few miles, if not sooner. Take your most reailable truck and be prepared for an adventure. It will pay well though, If it were last Month I'd ride along just to do it but I'm back at work now. Good Luck

Yeah, already planning on taking spare everything if it happened, including tire mounted on a wheel with the jack and tools to change it myself.

What's interesting is that I did find one article that said the 4 lane toll roads that are supposed to be so common down there are actually rougher than the two lane free roads (which you see in this country a lot), and that locals wonder why we use them.

If this thing even started to look like a go, I'd have to find out how much of the 2,800 miles in and out ARE tolls and what the cost is. Could be the old fly in the ointment right there.

I'd have taken you up on the ride down, too, as this trucks got upper and lower bunks. Go down there and see if we can find some ribs since we had to eat Mexican in Texas that day! (not that I'd be able to feed you cheaper than you fed me or anything..ahem..) Just be one more place where I can b*tch about not being able to find biscuits and gravy.

Oh no, now you're making me crack myself up. I just had the thought of having to come back here in a couple of weeks and announce to everyone, Southpark style, "They killed Kenny!"

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Some good (and interesting to me) car advice/stories here, even if it's not about trucks (I think they may have military checkpoints instead of weigh stations).

DRIVING IN MEXICO - REQUIREMENTS, SAFETY, ROUTES

Here's one that gives the accident scenario.

Alan Cogan - SURVIVING A HIGHWAY ACCIDENT IN MEXICO

including what I mentioned above.

"Incidentally, the free road was in infinitely better condition than the toll road. There were no topes, no pot holes, no villages, and no trucks along the whole length of it. The residents of Guamuchil think people are crazy to actually pay to drive on the toll road, which is in disgraceful shape."

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

Ron, from the stories I've heard, the crooked government will take your truck for just about any reason and nothing is worth losing your equipment. If you put up a good enough fight you might even end up in a Mexican prison from which our government refuses to meddle. Our CIFCA association went to a drag race just South of California and they let nearly everybody right into Mexico with little or no hesitation however they detained a couple of the rigs headed back into the US insisting that since they were carrying illegal substances, oil, fuel, etc. they were in violation and were going to keep their entire rigs for such violation. Both teams insisted on staying with their rigs and although the Mexican police and federales were intimately involved, they spent nearly a day fighting to keep their rigs, race-cars, tools, equipment, etc. all of which they insisted couldn't cross the border back into the US. Living in Arizona, I can tell you about 20 other horror stories but suffice it to say that no money would be worth that load to me especially after you finish repairing your truck from disastrous roadway beatings.

 

[mick]

Quintana Roo - the yucatan peninsula, quite a drive to say the least.
Heed Doc's post, their napoleonic form of gov't. means you're guilty
until proven innocent in the event of an accident. If you go, double check everything; permits, border crossing papers, & most importantly proper insurance. Yes, gov't owns all gas (Pemex) - check for fuel availability
across long deserted sections. Also, when in city areas, mexico has
'service lane' that is to right side of main road - left turns are made from
this 'service lane'.
regarding highway conditions, i've heard good and bad in all different parts
of country.
good luck with your decision.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Thanks all. The load is no longer posted today, so I think someone up top most likely told the agent "NO!" I can't imagine that Mexican insurance for one commercial vehicle trip would have been cheap, if it's even available. I've seen cars with Mexican tags clear up in the northeast and on I-81 the other week I saw one with the S.A. abbreviation for South America.

I knew there'd be some (if not a lot of) risk to it, but have to admit that it was intriguing and alluring. I got a killer deal on the truck five years ago for $16,100 and it's down to being worth about that now, but still wouldn't be worth losing over an attempted $3,000 profit.

Was trying to figure out how I could look more like one of them and blend in going down the road.

Wheels in my head still turn, though, LOL. Like I told her, that means that shipper's still looking for someone to haul it and someone with their own authority could do it for the whole $7,350 and I bet the agent would have nothing to lose by giving me their number..........LOL. That'd pay for a vacation if you got away with it.

 

[.]

Was trying to figure out how I could look more like one of them and blend in going down the road.

I haven't been down South in about 3 years, but put on lots and lots and lots of small lite bulbs all over the rig, cover the rig in dirt, put a "dina" brand logo in place of KW or Pete, have lots and lots and lots of black smoke belch out the stacks, get a dark tan, grow your mustache, put on those mud flaps with the silhoutte of a boobiferous girl, put big stickers of cows or bulls on your doors, dingleballs from the headliner.........I could go on and on......

The last 2 times I went, I had trouble with the authorities over there. The Fox government supposedly cleaned up alot of the corruption, but it's still "anything goes".
I had driven my vette down to Ensenada and the federales pulled me over. I wasn't doing anything wrong, but they wanted their bribe anyway. Same when I took the company box van to TJ. Needed to get some machine work done on a food machinery part. Either I made the contribution or they make my life hell.
Mind you I'm Mexican, and speak the language perfectly.
So anyway, if I can help ya in anyway, translating or whatever, let me know. I'd be glad to help.

 

[T.J.]

I would pass on taking a load into Mexico if I were you...no matter what the amount of money is. They have a warning to Americans on the news here in Texas to stay away from Laredo and other border towns due to kidnappings for ransom. People are being kidnapped and taken across the border and there families are contacted for ransom or they will kill you. The border patrol has been searching nearly every vehicle going into Mexico for kidnapped Americans being held prisoner. So you have to ask yourself...is my life worth 7500 dollars?

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Things are extremely slow in our freight world right now, so I booked a decent paying West Virginia load picking up on the 10th to deliver in Rhode Island on the 11th. Now I see the same Mexico load pops back up on the screen. Someone must think it can somehow be done.

I'm just going to stay in touch with the agent and see what happens if/when someone else takes it. Of course, someone else making it in and out doesn't mean I would. He said it's a new account and he expects to get more in the future, so I think I'll let someone else be the guinea pig for the first one. Just looking into it has been an interesting learning experience. Makes me want to go down there for a week or two with a car someday.

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

Going to Cancun is no problem, provided you fly. Personally I'd never drive since I don't own a beater to take nor do I have family members or Dead Presidents I'm willing to part with.

We go often - but we fly or cruise there. The scuba diving is superb, the hotels can be first class and the hospitality is totally awesome for we vacationing Americans, Europeans, etc. but I wouldn't drive down there for a hundred grand. That's just me?

 

[Ted]

Eleven years ago I delivered a pickup truck to eastern Guatemala. We drove out through the Yucatan and down through Belize. My only advice is that you do a trip like this for the adventure and not the money.
The free roads were terrible. The toll roads were of poor construction and expensive. Our papers were NEVER in order (without a few $).
It was also one of the coolest trips I'd ever done!

 

[Don]

Things are extremely slow in our freight world right now, so I booked a decent paying West Virginia load picking up on the 10th to deliver in Rhode Island on the 11th. Now I see the same Mexico load pops back up on the screen. Someone must think it can somehow be done.

I'm just going to stay in touch with the agent and see what happens if/when someone else takes it. Of course, someone else making it in and out doesn't mean I would. He said it's a new account and he expects to get more in the future, so I think I'll let someone else be the guinea pig for the first one. Just looking into it has been an interesting learning experience. Makes me want to go down there for a week or two with a car someday.

Why in the world would you want to go to Meceeco for...with all the corruption and road gangs?

Hey, you need to get a load through Louisville. Ramsey's is going to be in town Feb 2nd or 3rd...besides,,,,I still owe you supper

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Hey, at least their corrupt money goes straight to the little guy. I can almost respect that! I pay the same kind of **** in this country, but it goes to the top. The funny thing is I remember a New Mexico weigh station that used to be famous for having drivers leave a few bucks in the restroom, but I've had trouble getting inspectors on my side of the country to accept them. I do remember about twenty years ago that a couple watermelons taken off your truck and left at a Florida weigh station, and suddenly your truck was magically a couple thousand pounds lighter!

The fabric mill I was hauling weekly to in Mass kicked out another company (who I probably better not mention here but who farmed part of it out to us) who they were using for one stop shopping for all logistics, but they like our (100% on time!) service well enough that they approached us directly about staying on. Just waiting to see if they'll meet our rates and having to look at more variety in the meantime. If I get your way, you know I'll be calling!