The United States has revoked approximately 20,000 work visas held by Mexican truck drivers over the past year, according to Mexico’s largest trucking association, in what is becoming one of the most significant labor disruptions to affect North American cross-border transportation in recent years.
The visa cancellations come amid an ongoing enforcement campaign by the Trump administration targeting foreign commercial drivers operating within the United States and tightening oversight of cabotage regulations.
Speaking during a briefing marking his first 100 days as president of the National Chamber of Freight Transportation (Canacar), Augusto Ramos Melo revealed that the visa revocations occurred between April 2025 and April 2026. He explained that the figures were shared by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and stem from stricter enforcement measures linked to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in April 2025.
“These operators returned to Mexico after their work visas were revoked,” Ramos stated.
According to Canacar, approximately 30,000 foreign truck drivers have been removed from U.S. operations during the period, with Mexican drivers accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total.
Capacity Pressures Begin to Build
Industry representatives warn that the loss of thousands of drivers is already beginning to affect capacity across the cross-border freight market.
Canacar officials say the reduction in available drivers is tightening transportation supply and contributing to higher freight costs across parts of the United States.
“The only thing that happened here was the supply-demand effect, where obviously the cost of freight in the United States has been starting to have an upward effect,” Ramos explained.
While the organization has not yet quantified the full economic consequences, it cautions that the impact could become far more visible if freight demand strengthens across North America in the coming months.
Washington Defends Cabotage Crackdown
The visa cancellations coincide with increased enforcement efforts by the U.S. Department of Transportation against cabotage violations involving foreign commercial drivers.
During a recent visit to Phoenix, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defended the administration’s approach, emphasizing that Mexican carriers are authorized to transport freight into the United States and return to Mexico, but are not permitted to move cargo exclusively between U.S. destinations without specific authorization.
“What we’re doing is working with Customs and Border Patrol, and we’re pulling the visas of those Mexican drivers who violate our rules, and what this is about is making sure that American companies and American drivers have these jobs and these loads,” Duffy said.
According to Duffy, approximately 3,200 Mexican commercial drivers have had their U.S. visas revoked since January solely for alleged cabotage violations.
The Department of Transportation is currently working alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to identify and penalize offenders.
At the same time, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has reinstated English-language proficiency violations as an out-of-service offense, allowing inspectors to remove drivers from operation if they are unable to communicate effectively in English.
In response, Canacar has launched a dedicated English-language training initiative aimed at helping drivers and their families meet U.S. compliance requirements and maintain eligibility for cross-border operations.
Canadian Carriers Unaffected So Far
While Mexican trucking companies have been directly impacted by the visa revocations, Canadian carriers report no comparable enforcement actions.
Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, stated that his organization has not received reports of Canadian truck drivers losing B-1 visas or facing detention over cabotage-related violations.
“We have not received reports of Canadian truck drivers having visas revoked or being detained for cabotage violations,” Millian said.
Industry observers note that enforcement efforts have primarily concentrated on activity along the U.S.-Mexico border rather than on Canada-U.S. freight operations.
Driver Shortage Concerns Continue to Grow
The visa revocations come at a challenging time for the trucking sector, which is already facing a significant shortage of qualified drivers.
Mexico now faces a shortfall of some 96,000 truck drivers, estimates Canacar. The demographic challenge is also becoming more acute as nearly 30% of active drivers are older than 55 years while just 13% are under 25 years of age.
The global situation is expected to deteriorate. The International Road Transport Union (IRU) estimates that the world will be in deficit of more than 2.8 million truck drivers by 2030.
Mexico Remains America’s Largest Trading Partner
Despite the labor challenges affecting cross-border transportation, trade between the United States and Mexico continues to grow.
According to data from the U.S. Based on data from the Census Bureau, WorldCity says Mexico remained the top U.S. trading partner in April 2026.
Total two-way trade between the two countries reached $86.04 billion, representing a 23.4% increase compared to the same month a year earlier.
U.S. exports to Mexico totaled $35.34 billion, while imports from Mexico reached $50.69 billion.
Canada ranked second among U.S. trading partners with $64.8 billion in bilateral trade during April, while Taiwan climbed to third place with $29.6 billion.
Freight volumes continue to rise across North America, and the long-term impact of the visa crackdown will be closely watched by those in the industry as driver availability could tighten further and cross-border transportation dynamics could change in the months ahead.
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