US, Mexican Truckers Unite to Protest Wages, Poor Conditions

Written by: Hot Mess Holly, Journalist/Dispatcher in Training

Odessa, Texas - In a move that could only be described as “trucking awesome,” a convoy of cross-border truckers rolled through parts of West Texas on Monday. Their mission? To shine a spotlight on everything from driver violence to wages so low they make minimum wage look like a lottery win, and working conditions that would make a sweatshop seem like a spa.

The convoy, a joint action between the U.S.-based Truckers Movement for Justice (TMJ), the Mexico-based United Mexican Carriers (TAMEXUN), and the Binational Carriers Union (STB), will feature about 75 truckers from both sides of the border. These brave souls will embark on a 150-mile trek from Odessa, Texas, through Kermit and Monahans, Texas, because nothing says “we mean business” like a road trip through the desert.

“TMJ, STB, and TAMEXUN are fighting for the rights of drivers to organize and negotiate collectively with trucking companies,” said Billy Randel, founder of TMJ, in an interview with FreightWaves. Randel, who has clearly never met a microphone he didn’t like, added, “We’re seeking respect and justice from the trucking industry. We carry the backs of the world on us, and frankly, our backs are killing us.”

Jazmin Lovos, a member of TMJ, echoed Randel’s sentiments. “In one word, we want justice. We’re all talking about justice for truck drivers. We carry the backs of the world on us,” she said, while balancing a globe on her shoulders for dramatic effect. Lovos and her husband Oscar are truck drivers in the Permian Basin, where the roads are as rough as a trucker’s five o’clock shadow.

The majority of drivers participating in the Texas protest are owner-operators working in the oilfields of West Texas or Mexico-based B1 visa drivers hauling goods into the U.S. These drivers are often recruited by U.S.-based trucking companies with promises of 30 cents a mile, only to have their pay slashed to 19 cents a mile faster than you can say “bait and switch.”

“There’s a lot of people who also care about the 19 cents a mile because they think they are making money with that,” said Jesus Chuy, a driver from Mexico and member of STB. “The industries get the best of Mexican drivers with that,” while shaking his head in disbelief.

Randel summed it up best: “We go back to the simple fact that trucking companies are using our brothers and sisters in Mexico against our brothers and sisters in the United States. This is why we have an alliance that we built with TAMEXUN, STB, and TMJ. We’ve got to fight,” he said, while humming the Rocky theme song.

Poor working conditions for truck drivers in the U.S. are nothing new. Oscar Lovos, a member of TMJ, said truckers have faced poor work conditions in the Permian Basin area of West Texas for years. The issues range from low wages and long waits to unload trucks to companies that don’t pay for fuel surcharges. “I’ve been in the oil field for over 11 years, driving in the Permian Basin. The oil field has gone downhill tremendously. Inflation is going high, the price of oil is still high, but yet our wages are going lower and lower,” “It seems like every month they’re going to lower the rates on us. We’re barely surviving as it is,” he added, while checking his wallet for tumbleweeds.

Being an oil field truck driver can be tough physically due to the condition of roads in the Permian Basin. But if there’s one thing these truckers know how to do, it’s keep on truckin’. And if the roads don’t get them, maybe the aliens will. After all, rumor has it that the Permian Basin is a hot spot for UFO sightings. So, if you see a convoy of trucks followed by a flying saucer, don’t be alarmed. It’s just the truckers and their new extraterrestrial allies fighting for justice. Because even aliens know that 19 cents a mile is out of this world… in the worst way possible.

Disclaimer: No truckers or aliens were harmed in the making of this article. Any resemblance to real-life trucking woes or extraterrestrial encounters is purely coincidental, but if you do see a UFO, please report it to your nearest truck stop diner.