Mexican Truck Exports Plunge as U.S. Border Protest Persists (1)

Mexican semi-truck exports to the U.S. have slumped 80% in a matter of days as a border blockade to protest Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s stepped-up vehicle inspections drags on.

U.S.-bound cargoes are backed up for almost 9 miles (14 kilometers) at some border crossings, strangling shipments of the tractor units that power 18-wheelers, said Miguel Elizalde, head of the Association of Heavy Vehicle Producers. Mexico is the world’s top exporter of semi-trucks and the fourth-biggest source of cargo vehicles, according to the association’s data.

Cargo trucks wait to cross to the U.S. during a blockade at the Jeronimo-Santa Teresa international crossing on April 12.

Photographer: Herika Martinez/AFP/Getty Images

“This affects the industry as a whole,” Elizalde said. The group is calling ...