The U.S. has revoked work visas for approximately 20,000 Mexican truck drivers over the past year, according to Mexico's largest trucking association, as reported by FreightWaves on June 23, 2026. The revocations are part of a broad enforcement campaign by the Trump administration targeting foreign commercial drivers accused of cabotage violations and other regulatory infractions. The visa cancellations represent one of the most significant labor disruptions to hit the cross-border trucking industry in years.
The visa revocations occurred between April 2025 and April 2026, according to Augusto Ramos Melo, president of Mexico's National Chamber of Freight Transportation (Canacar). Ramos said roughly 30,000 foreign truck drivers have been removed from U.S. operations during this period, with Mexican drivers accounting for about two-thirds of the total. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that approximately 3,200 Mexican commercial drivers have had their visas revoked since January for alleged cabotage violations alone. Meanwhile, Canadian carriers report they haven't experienced similar enforcement actions, with Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, saying his organization is unaware of any Canada-based truck drivers losing B-1 visas or being arrested for violating U.S. cabotage laws.
Ramos said the visa figure was shared by the American Trucking Associations and reflects actions stemming from an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in April 2025. "These operators returned to Mexico after their work visas were revoked," Ramos said. According to Ramos, the loss of drivers has begun tightening capacity and contributing to upward pressure on freight rates in the U.S. "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 noted. Duffy defended the administration's crackdown, saying Mexican truck drivers can transport freight into the U.S. and return to Mexico but can't legally haul loads between points entirely within the United States without proper 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 the American companies, American drivers have these jobs and these loads," Duffy said.
The enforcement campaign is hitting an industry already struggling with severe driver shortages. Canacar estimates Mexico currently faces a shortage of approximately 96,000 truck drivers, with nearly 30% of active drivers older than 55 and only about 13% younger than 25. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reinstated English-language proficiency violations as an out-of-service offense last year, allowing inspectors to sideline drivers who can't adequately communicate in English. In response, Canacar has launched an English-language training program aimed at drivers and their families to help operators meet U.S. requirements. The Department of Transportation is working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to identify and penalize violators, with enforcement efforts largely focused on activity along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The visa revocations come as U.S.-Mexico trade continues to grow, with two-way trade totaling $86.04 billion in April 2026, up 23.4% from the same month a year earlier, keeping Mexico as the largest U.S. trading partner. While Canacar hasn't quantified the economic impact yet, Ramos said the effects could become more pronounced if freight demand strengthens across North America. The International Road Transport Union has projected a global shortage of more than 2.8 million truck drivers by 2030. With 20,000 Mexican drivers now sidelined and enforcement showing no signs of slowing, the crackdown is tightening an already strained cross-border supply chain at the worst possible time.