Particularly outside of major cities, lodging and restaurant services are not up to the

standards to which U.S. drivers have become accustomed. Those pioneering the entrance of

U.S. drivers into Mexico must be prepared occasionally to 'rough it.' As many long distance

drivers rely on sleepers, lodging is not a major obstacle. Rather, drivers most need secure

parking, restaurants and shower services, and places to make convenience store-type purchases.

All of these services exist in full-service truck stops in the U.S. While full-service truck stops

are beginning to appear in Mexico, the early entrants often will have to do without. If and as

U.S. drivers begin operating into Mexico, it seems likely that such services will quickly develop,

at least along the more major routings. Their development appears to be a lucrative business

opportunity for U.S. firms.


Language

 Not to be discounted are the language differences. The willingness of mono-lingual

drivers from either country to operate in the other will certainly be a factor in access. Bilingual

drivers may be able to command premium wages.


Final Comments on Barriers to International Operations

 The main theme of this section has been that the Mexican driving environment is more

difficult than that in the U.S. and, therefore, U.S. carriers will find it harder, in general, to

operate in Mexico than will Mexican carriers looking to operate in the U.S. In the opinion of

the authors', it is a certainty that large numbers of Mexican carriers will quickly take advantage

of NAFTA's provisions and initiate operations into the U.S. However, the reverse should not

be taken for granted. Indeed, for the foreseeable future it seems likely that U.S. carriers will