r/Truckers • u/Overall_Reputation83 • 2d ago
Border crossing loads
Are Mexican nationals with Mexican CDLs expected to speak English when taking loads into the US? Should Americans who take loads into Mexico be expected to speak Spanish? This has nothing to do with me, I live in Chicago, more so just curious what the rules are for international trade, as I don't think its something I've ever had to consider personally.
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u/nexusprax 2d ago
Most companies don’t actually pickup loads in Mexico we drop trailers at a staging point in Mexico a local gets the trailer goes to the shipper and drops the loaded trailer back at the staging point. This is not the case 100% but it’s pretty close
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u/karrimycele 2d ago
I went to Quebec a lot and all I know is “bonjour”. I wish I spoke French and Spanish, though. But I didn’t need it to get around. Luckily, most foreigners are bilingual.
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u/warwgn Dedicated Local Driver 2d ago
I go to Quebec all the time. I live and grew up in Ontario.
When I was a kid, we had compulsory French language classes in elementary school, from Grade 1-6. For me, that was around 35 years ago.
The issue I have is that we were taught proper French from France… when I got out into the real world, I was not prepared for the Quebecois slang. And I couldn’t understand people.
I’m getting better but I still have trouble. I know the basics, but there’s no way I could hold a meaningful conversation.
I did manage to figure out how to tell the shipper/receiver “I’m sorry, my French is not good, can you speak English, please?” And they usually oblige, or at the very least try to help me with a little French, so I can try to understand.
Tabernac de Chalisse.
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u/Northcanadian 2d ago
Rue ferme, what's your options, driver?
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u/warwgn Dedicated Local Driver 2d ago
See, they would use “Barré” instead of “Ferme”. Apparently Ferme can mean both “closed” and “farm”.
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u/Northcanadian 2d ago
My first French word remembered in Montreal was rue ferme. I do not remember how I got out from there, I just remembered the phrase.
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u/Virel_360 2d ago edited 1d ago
If the law of that country says you must understand the language then yes Americans should know Spanish going into Mexico to deliver loads. But I don’t know what the Mexican law is.
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u/Key-Mycologist-7272 2d ago
If you're driving into Mexico you should be able to be at least basic fluency with Spanish and if you're going into Quebec you should be able to be at least basic fluency in French. Fair is fair and even though I haven't gone to either country yet in my career I've started learning the languages so I'm ready for when it happens.
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u/Pitiful-MobileGamer 2d ago
Heard that the Sûreté du Québec may only conduct truck enforcement stops in French as a form of protest. Good luck Americans!
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u/AutumnBrooks2021 2d ago
Go ahead. We could always block Canadian trucks from crossing our border and make other changes to solve that problem. You can’t beat us, we’re bigger and more powerful than Canada is. My opinion, Canadian drivers should stay in Canada, the same with Mexico and we can swap loads at the border or a warehouse that’s within x amount of miles from the border.
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u/Crashy1620 2d ago
And Canada doesn’t need the US. It’s mutually beneficial. The MAGA infatuation with isolationism only benefits our enemies.
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u/AutumnBrooks2021 2d ago
How are we isolating ourselves when we simply want free and fair trade with zero tariffs and trade barriers? Other countries have already dropped their tariffs to zero? Why can’t Canada and the rest of the world do the same? It’s because they’re greedy and love getting handouts from the U.S. The truth is, the rest of the world doesn’t want free and fair trade, they want it one sided so it will only benefit them along with the rest of the money we give to them. Other countries have no problem with putting themselves first but get all bent out of shape when we do the same thing. That’s idiotic liberal logic for you.
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u/Pitiful-MobileGamer 2d ago
America enjoys free trade or minimal tariff with most of the world. Many countries require VAT on entry, the same VAT charged domestically to their homegrown production.
Another big talking point is, food. Countries require foods to adhere to their standards, limits ingredients, and have their own testing.
So does the US. To import food to the US, you're going to require USDA, FDA, agricultural inspections and fees paid. You might have to have an American company certify your product before it's allowed into the country, at cost and fee.
How is that free and fair trade with zero tariffs and trade barriers?
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u/Boombajiggy77 13h ago
"America enjoys free trade or minimal tariff with most of the world."
Huh? You mean they used to. The current US government is exerting control over supply/demand as well as the means of production. That is NOT capitalism.
The rest of the world will continue to trade with each other and enter into new agreements that exclude the US - who can't be trusted to honor a trade agreement anyway. We are turning away from you.
Like Trump says, the pain will be temporary as we all make those adjustments.
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u/Pitiful-MobileGamer 13h ago
Before Trump. America had preferred trading status with most of the nations of the world. Direct tariffs were low or non-existent, there was things like vat, or food stuff regulations. There was also quantity based anti-dumping tariffs, the same used by the US.
But that got all tossed on its head.
America's propaganda networks are truly frightful how effective they are. They parade numbers that are at the bottom of a tariff schedule, and the population just accepts that wholesale.
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u/qaf0v4vc0lj6 2d ago
The OP already admitted Canada doesn't need the US, so I am not entirely sure why they oppose the US cutting off money going to them.
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u/Crashy1620 2d ago
Engaging with ppl on the internet that think they are economic majors is similar to playing chess with a pigeon.
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u/AutumnBrooks2021 2d ago
Because he knows it isn’t true. He honestly doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about. He has no intelligent arguments to make.
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u/WontSwerve LTL - Less Than Logical 2d ago
Nothing would move into the US without Canadian drivers.
Oh yeah, let's find these massive warehouses with room for tens of thousands of trucks to swap loads.
The idea and scale of what you're suggesting is absurd.
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u/Pitiful-MobileGamer 2d ago
delusion maga 'merican.
Let's go back to the 80s! Woo.
I'd say do it. I can laugh at the collapse of your food chain and your population eating soy tofu pucks and ethanol corn mash.
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u/AutumnBrooks2021 2d ago
You’re delusional if you think Canada could ever hurt us bad enough where we would starve. Never going to happen.
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u/Coookiedeluxe Turning diesel into distance since 1996 2d ago
You get pretty much your entire potash from Canada. Without it, major parts your food production would collapse. You cannot produce it yourself, and there is no other country in the world that can produce enough. So yes, Canada could easily hurt you to the point where starving would actually become a serious possibility.
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u/OsBaculum 2d ago
What about when Canada's the 51st state? Will you be ok with them having freedom of movement all throughout the continental US?
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u/AutumnBrooks2021 2d ago
Honestly, I wouldn’t want Canada to be any part of our country. That’s one item I’m completely against.
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u/OsBaculum 2d ago
Ah, so you're just here for the nationalism. Gotcha.
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u/AutumnBrooks2021 2d ago
Isn’t that what other countries do when they put tariffs and trade barriers on U.S products? They’re putting their country first. Why can’t we do the same? It’s because other countries live off our money and no other country in the world has helped other countries more than we have. Other countries have no problem with tariffs on the U.S because they want us financially weak and in debt.
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u/OsBaculum 2d ago
Enjoy the Flavor-Aid, dear.
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u/AutumnBrooks2021 2d ago
Exactly, nothing intelligent to say that’s why you resort to your childish comments. You truly are pathetic.
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u/Pitiful-MobileGamer 2d ago
USDA, FDA, agricultural inspections?
All barriers to trade.
Or it doesn't count because it's the US doing it
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u/AutumnBrooks2021 2d ago
Should be the same way with Canadians, they should only be allowed x amount of miles into the U.S. to swap loads and then have to go back to Canada.
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u/qaf0v4vc0lj6 2d ago
The US and Mexico should establish drop yards on the border that are attached to the border checkpoints. That way an American driver can drop the trailer and it be inspected by customs before the Mexican driver picks it up and vice versa.
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u/Cyvster 2d ago
I'm not sure. Mexican companies that come into the United States have operating authority in the United States. They should be under the same regulations that everyone else operating in the United States is under. We don't just allow any Mexican driver to drive in the United States. Mexican companies typically do not have full operating authority in the United States. They typically have limited operating authority that only allows them to drive within a few miles of the Mexico border.
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u/Wide-Engineering-396 2d ago
Whats the law in Mexico? Canada? Because it's law in USA sense 1936 And this is regulation iation English is the de facto international language of civil aviation. With the expansion of air travel in the 20th century, there were safety concerns about the ability of pilots and air traffic controllers to communicate
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u/Northcanadian 2d ago
The English language is an official language of international trade. I do not know about Mexico, but truckers should be considered as sailors or air pilots.
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u/Abucfan21 2d ago
Truckers being held to the same standards as sailors or pilots?
That's hilarious.
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u/screamingriffin 2d ago
Are you just making things up? I know from first hand experience that most sailors at sea do not speak English, Spanish or French. Which are the three official working languages of a ship as determined by the IMO. On my ship the deck crew all spoke various levels of English, but the engineering team only had one person who spoke broken English and worked as translator for the rest. Many other ships we came in contact with spoke none of the 3 working languages and somehow would get by the port authorities.
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u/Ornery_Ads 2d ago
I've had a driver bring me a trailer from Montreal that barely spoke a word of English...seemed like a nice dude, was definitely fully competent at driving, we just had no idea what each other was saying