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Cabotage enforcement cuts Mexican carriers in border zones
Stricter oversight, enforcement contribute to a 4.3% drop in southern border operators
FMCSA data shows 5,232 Mexican trucking companies are active in the southern border’s commercial zones, down 4.3% from 5,467 as of Dec. 26, 2025. (Carlos Moreno/Bloomberg)
Key Takeaways:
- Federal cabotage enforcement barred hundreds of Mexican truckers, cutting active Mexican carriers in southern border commercial zones to 5,232 as of May 15.
- FMCSA data shared with CBP and renewed English proficiency enforcement likely drove the 4.3% drop from 5,467 carriers on Dec. 26, Costello said.
- CBP said specific enforcement data is unavailable, while industry officials will watch for further declines that could complicate cross-border freight movement.
There are 250 fewer Mexican carriers operating in U.S. commercial zones along the southern border as a federal cabotage crackdown has barred hundreds of Mexican truckers from crossing the border.
Both Mexican drivers and trucking operators have come under increasing pressure from the Trump administration as federal agencies take a harsher stance on illegal activities within the transportation industry.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has begun sharing its Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records of commercial vehicle inspections with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Now, Border Patrol agents can see if a Mexican driver attempting to cross into the U.S. has a prior violation for engaging in illegal cabotage. If so, agents are yanking visas and barring those drivers from crossing the border.
Cabotage occurs when foreign-registered commercial truck drivers enter the United States on valid visas to deliver cross-border freight but remain to haul domestic loads — a violation of federal law.
The most recent FMCSA operating authority statistics for Mexican-domiciled carriers was issued May 15. It shows 5,232 Mexican trucking companies active in the southern border’s commercial zones, down 4.3% from 5,467 Mexican carriers working there as of Dec. 26, 2025.
The number of Mexican carriers working in southern border zones was 5,633 at the end of December 2024.
Last year, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reinstated a long-disused FMCSA mandate requiring English-language proficiency skills for commercial vehicle drivers.
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Costello
“The drop is interesting, and I think is likely due to a couple of enforcement-related initiatives,” said Bob Costello, chief economist and senior vice president of international trade and security policy at American Trucking Associations. He attributed more rigorous enforcement of cabotage and the ELP laws.
“I get a sense there were fleets and drivers that for a long period of time, especially coming off the boom during the pandemic, believed the U.S. government didn’t worry or care about cabotage,” Costello noted. “With the recent enforcement push, that has obviously changed, which is good news, and drivers and fleets are getting caught.”
In October, ATA sent a letter to congressional leaders asking for a series of measures to close regulatory transportation loopholes. ATA also sought stronger federal enforcement of cabotage laws and penalties for violations.
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Spear
“Congress should also establish meaningful penalties — such as fines, disqualification or loss of operating authority — for carriers found to be repeatedly violating cabotage restrictions,” wrote ATA President Chris Spear. “Ensuring that only qualified, compliant operators move domestic freight protects highway safety and preserves the integrity of U.S. carrier operations. By focusing enforcement actions on a relatively small group of motor carriers that are engaged in these practices, DHS and USDOT can send a strong deterrent message that reverberates across the industry.”
While federal agencies haven’t released metrics on the number of Mexican drivers whose visas have been revoked, forcing them to turn around, the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce in San Diego said in April that 300 Mexican truckers were denied entry into Southern California due to cabotage.
Some news media reports place the number of banned Mexican truckers at 3,000 due to cabotage violations.
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When asked to provide metrics, a CBP spokesperson said “specific enforcement data” is unavailable. However, the spokesperson said CBP has seen “an increase in encounters involving illegal alien truck drivers and cabotage cases, particularly in border regions, and will enforce immigration laws for anyone found to be in the U.S. illegally, including truck drivers, to protect the legitimate trucking industry, ensure fair competition and support safe freight movement nationwide.”
“I don’t think it means more opportunities for U.S. carriers, because the border zone fleets generally just do the drayage across the border and leave the longer-haul portion to U.S. fleets,” Costello said.
U.S. fleets and drivers generally don’t want to cross the border and instead partner with Mexican fleets, he said, adding that some U.S. carriers may be having difficulty moving freight across the border due to fewer Mexican border zone carriers.
“With that said, it wasn’t a huge number and I think there won’t be much of a problem at this point. However, we will watch the trends in the months ahead. If we continue to see a sizable drop through the year, it could lead to some logistical issues. But probably not yet,” Costello concluded.
