Borderlands is a weekly summary of developments in the world of commerce and cross-border trade between the US and Mexico. This week: Exports of Mexican-made Class 8 trucks hit 15,221 in January; rail cargo thefts fall 21% year over year in Mexico; fuel and lubricants distributor expands in South Texas; and rare insect intercepted in shipment at Otay Mesa port of entry.
Exports of Mexican-made cargo trucks reached 15,221 in January
Mexico’s truck production and exports got off to a strong start to the year, helped by normalizing supply chains and US demand, officials said.
In January, Mexico’s 10 truck manufacturers that are members of ANPACT produced 18,568 units, up 26% year-on-year (y/y) from 2021. Truck exports rose 14% year-on-year to 15,221 vehicles.
The US received 96% of the trucks exported by Mexico, 14,658 units. Canada was the second buyer with 2.4%, followed by Peru with 0.4%.
“Step by step, the supply chain and logistics networks are recovering around the world,” said Guillermo Rosales, deputy general director of the Mexican Association of Automobile Dealers, during a recent monthly press conference.
Miguel Elizalde, president of Mexico’s National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor Producers, said 2023 is off to a good start.
“January has shown positive signs, which is encouraging,” Elizalde said during the same press conference. “We must take advantage of the momentum of both the local market and the export market to achieve a full recovery of the industry and the economy. It is essential to position ourselves intelligently and precisely as an industry and as a country to promote and leverage initiatives to relocate global manufacturing supply chains.”
Truck manufacturers and parts manufacturers with assembly plants and factories in Mexico include Freightliner, Kenworth, Navistar, Hino, International, DINA, MAN SE, Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu, Scania, Cummins and Detroit Diesel.
Freightliner was the leading producer and exporter of trucks in Mexico during January. The company built 10,728 trucks, up 6.5% year-on-year, and exported 9,844 units, up 3% year-on-year.
International Trucks Inc. it produced 5,691 units in January, up 78% year-on-year, and exported 4,881, up 50% year-on-year.
Kenworth manufactured 1,489 units, up 33% year-on-year, and exported 484 trucks, down 3% year-on-year from 2021.
Rail cargo thefts fall 21% year over year in Mexico
Rail robberies in Mexico decreased 20.8% year-on-year from January to October, compared to the same period in 2021.
During the first 10 months of 2022, authorities registered 1,473 reports of cargo theft, according to Mexico’s Rail Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF).
The most stolen goods were consumer goods, corn, wheat, cement, tools and construction materials.
During the month of October, rail robberies decreased by 26% to 154 incidents. The states that recorded the most cargo thefts during the month were Sonora with 47, Sinaloa with 28 and Jalisco with 18.
Vandalism of wagons and tracks increased by 18% annually to 9,705 cases reported from January to October.
Rail accidents decreased by 69% year-on-year in the first 10 months of 2022, while rail blockages decreased by 23% year-on-year, ARTF reported.
The states with the most reports of rail blockages from January to October were Oaxaca (1,599.92 hours of blockage), Mexico (1,019.23 hours) and Puebla (128.7 hours).
Fuel and lubricants distributor expands in South Texas
Kapalua Marine, Fuels and Lubes recently opened a facility in Harlingen, Texas to serve more customers in the region.
The 20,000-square-foot facility sits on 6 acres near the Harlingen Industrial Park. The new center will create about 20 jobs, including truck drivers, warehouse distribution workers and sales representatives.
Ford Smith Jr., president of Texas Enterprises Inc., Kapalua’s parent company, said customers include car dealerships, oil and lube centers and trucking companies.
“We have a lot of industrial customers at the Port of Brownsville, shipbuilders and refineries,” Smith told Texas Border Business. “We also have a commercial fuel business that sells to farmers, trucking companies, traditional fuel users.”
Austin-based Texas Enterprises also operates a carrier with 150 trucks and 108 drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Founded in 1921, Texas Enterprises is a family-owned and operated company with offices in 10 locations throughout Texas and New Mexico. The company provides wholesale distribution of lubricants and fuel through several divisions, including Allied Sales Co., Golden West Oil, Kapalua Fuel and Marine, Triple S Fuels and United Oil and Grease Co.
Rare insect intercepted in shipment at Otay Mesa port of entry
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials recently had their first discovery of a rare insect in Otay Mesa, California, south of San Diego.
CBP agricultural specialists at the port’s cargo facility were conducting an inspection of a commercial shipment of fresh celery from Mexico when they discovered a live lepidopteran.
Lepidoptera is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths. Officials identified the lepidoptera as a species of actionable Copitarsia, insects not known to inhabit the United States.
Whenever actionable pests are detected in imported goods, shipments must be disinfested, destroyed or returned to the country of origin. In this case, the truck driver and shipment were returned to Mexico.
While this was not the first time this insect had been found in the US, it was a first-time discovery at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
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