Input Stories

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will halt state police inspections of commercial trucks on the Laredo–Colombia Solidarity International Bridge in an effort to unsnarl supply chain holdups at the country’s biggest inland import hub, according to The Wall Street Journal (subscription).

What’s happening: “Texas international bridges have faced days of worsening chaos since state inspections focusing on the physical safety of trucks began last week, causing hours- and days-long delays. Monday and Tuesday, Mexican truckers blockaded and completely closed two bridges in protest, in Pharr and El Paso. Both have now reopened, local officials said.”

• Abbott, who ordered the start of the Texas-led inspections last week to reduce the flow of illegal cargo into the state, said Wednesday he had reached an agreement with Samuel Alejandro García Sepúlveda, governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo León.
• Under this agreement, Nuevo León, which borders Texas at the site of the Solidarity Bridge, will perform the inspections.
• Other bridges could see similar relief if their bordering Mexican states participated in such an agreement, Abbott said.

Why it matters: “Some $440 billion in trade passes over international bridges on the Texas–Mexico border each year. State safety inspections of every truck, which truckers said took at least an hour each, left drivers waiting more than 36 hours to cross in some places, snarling the supply chain and destroying loads of fresh produce.”

• The White House, which has said commercial traffic has dropped by as much as 60% since Abbott’s order, said the inspections “are causing significant disruptions to the food and automobile supply chains, delaying manufacturing, impacting jobs, and raising prices for families in Texas and across the country.”

The NAM in action: The NAM is monitoring this situation and has been in communication with relevant federal officials in the U.S. and Mexico, as well as state partners in Texas. If your company is engaged in cross-border shipping and has been affected by these delays, please contact Director of Infrastructure, Innovation and Human Resources Ben Siegrist at [email protected].