Weight and Length Restrictions

 In general, the U.S. and Canada offer less challenging physical and legal operating

environments than Mexico. Therefore, the barriers facing carriers looking to initiate operations

in Mexico tend to be greater than those facing Mexican carriers planning to initiate operations

north of their border. An exception to this general rule is weight restrictions. Of the three

NAFTA countries, the United States has the most limiting weight restrictions. Therefore,

Mexican carriers will have to operate with lower cargo weights than they are accustomed to

within Mexico, particularly as weight restrictions have been widely ignored. To convey the

extent of this disparity, consider that it is now common for the cargos from two Mexican trucks

to be transferred onto three U.S. trucks at the border, and sometimes one Mexican truck carries

enough for two U.S. trucks. To accommodate these large loads, as well as to deal with rough

road conditions, Mexican equipment tends to be built appreciably heavier than U.S. trucks.

Unless Mexican carriers acquire lighter, U.S.-style equipment, when operating in the U.S., they

will have to carry lighter loads than U.S. and Canadian carriers. However, acquiring lighter

equipment may only transfer the problem to the domestic operations. This follows both because

it will likely be more prone to breakdown on the rough roads and because it will not be able

to carry as much as the heavier domestic equipment.

 As previously noted, Mexico is adopting weight and length restrictions more consistent

with those in the U.S. and is committed to enforcing them. If this is successful, the competitive

disadvantages of using lighter equipment within Mexico will be lessened. Moreover, if and as

Mexico's roadways are improved, breakdown problems associated with lighter equipment will

be alleviated. Indeed, by the time NAFTA will allow all carriers to operate throughout the three