Border Town

Lori got her first taste of "international" trade. The "high value" load her and Tamara had picked up in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts was some sort of resin destined for the auto manufacturing industry in Mexico. That meant they had to bring the trailer to a transfer yard in Laredo, Texas where a Mexican driver in a Mexican truck picked up their trailer and took it across the border.

They then spent the day waiting for another Mexican truck to bring a trailer filled with flowers across the border so they can take it to three different destinations: Houston, Texas; Alsip, Illinois (just outside of Chicago); and then a final stop at Stoughton, Wisconson south of Madison. The trailer arrived just 30 minutes before the transfer lot was going to close for the night, which would have meant an overnight wait.

In many ways, Laredo is your typical border town; crowded, dirty, and a bit rundown. But Lori says there's also a lot of new develoment. It appears NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) is having a positive impact on the local economy. It also seems to be a regular destination for Prime as Lori saw a number of their trucks coming and going during the day.

The travel plan at this point (which the fleet manager/dispatcher promised will happen) is for Lori and Tamara to be back home in Southern California sometime this Sunday. Lori has made several appointments for Monday, not the least of which is a dentist appointment to get a permanent crown installed. Given the challenges involved with scheduling and rescheduling dentist appointments, we're hoping the fleet manager can get them a load that brings them back into California.

Tamara has also made arrangements for some work to be done on the truck while they're in California, so Lori may have the chance to spend a few days at home.