SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — As long delays to cross the border persist for truckers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, maquiladora executives are complaining of “incalculable loses” resulting from merchandise and materials not being able to get across the border on time.
“Mexican customs has a lot of problems with its software and computer systems,” said Pedro Montejo Peterson, president of the National Consul of the Maquiladora and Manufacturers Industry in Tijuana.
Montejo Peterson blames Mexico’s National Guard, now in charge of ports of entry in Mexico, for not having adequate technology to process truckers fast enough as they drive out of Mexican territory.
“When systems fail, there’s been waits of up to 12 hours,” he said, adding that the losses have mounted to about $15 million whenever the system goes down.
“This is the immediate impact, you can triple that amount in losses as you go up the supply network,” he said.
Montejo Peterson is asking the federal government to step in and improve the customs network to minimize the effect on the maquiladora industry.
“The money generated from taxes and fees paid by trucking companies should be used to upgrade the system,” said Montejo Peterson. “We can’t keep this happening.”
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