At least 20,000 Mexican truck drivers lost their work visas in the United States between April 2025 and April 2026 for failing to meet English language requirements, reported Augusto Ramos Melo, president of the National Chamber of Freight Transportation (Canacar) .
During the presentation of the results of his first 100 days in office, he explained that the figure was shared by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and is part of the actions derived from an executive order issued by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in April 2025.
“They were from April 2025 to April 2026. These operators returned to Mexico after their work visas were revoked,” he said.
Ramos clarified that the impact is not limited to Mexican operators . According to information shared by the ATA, the president of Canacar commented that approximately 30,000 foreign operators have been removed from operations in the United States, of which 20,000 are Mexican.
Although the leader acknowledged that there is still no precise assessment of the economic impact of this measure , he explained that the reduction in the availability of operators is already beginning to generate pressures in the US market.
“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,” he said.
However, he emphasized that North America’s economic performance has so far prevented a greater impact. Nevertheless, he warned that if economic activity picks up, the shortage of operators could be more clearly reflected in logistics costs.
“It is very likely that this impact will be seen gradually,” he stated.
The measure comes in a context where the trucking industry is facing a growing shortage of drivers both in Mexico and in other regions of the world.
Canacar estimates that there is currently a shortage of approximately 96,000 truck drivers in Mexico , a figure that could increase in the coming years due to the aging workforce. According to Ramos, around 30% of active truck drivers are over 55 years old, while only 13% are under 25.
Globally, the problem has also become a concern for the logistics industry . During Canacar’s participation in the International Road Transport Union (IRU) , the organization predicted a global shortage of more than 2.8 million operators by 2030.
Given this scenario, Canacar launched an English language training program aimed at operators, transporters and their families.
The tool is available online and can be used on mobile devices. According to Ramos, the goal is to strengthen the language skills of operators involved in cross-border operations and reduce the risk of further disruptions stemming from regulatory requirements in the United States.
The agency also reported that it maintains a close relationship with the ATA to monitor the evolution of this issue and obtain more accurate information on the impact that the departure of operators has had on the US market.
For now, Canacar acknowledged that one of the main challenges will be identifying how many of the operators who returned to the country have rejoined Mexican companies and how many remain outside the transport industry .
“It has been difficult to track them all down to find out if they are already working in Mexico or in some other profession,” Ramos emphasized.
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