Illegal Immigrants In Trucking??

Not trying to be controversial, but here's a couple photos a buddy sent to me of a big truck with a Mexican registration painted on the door driving in Georgia last week. The four wheeler was secured with a chain over the rear axle hooked to the tractor frame. The guy used a tire over the fifth wheel to keep it from wrecking the undercarriage.

Let's just say that law enforcement doesn't see everything out there on the road...

What is wrong with that? The thing is secure. Actually it is pretty ingenious way to get the car back to Mexico and save money at the same time. Not what I would do to get it back.

I haven't read every single post but... I know a lot of Truck Drivers that are from Mexico and below. most of them own their own trucks or drive for another close friend that owns trucks.

the more inland guys run dump trucks. the guys more towards long beach and la run containers out of the harbor allot of them have dump trucks to.

they worked harder than the average trucker to get where they are. sometimes they work for free just to keep clients or to just pay the bills...

id rather they be my neighbor than some of the other california residents.

I think the operable word here is "illegals". Now you can make fun of people who are against ILLEGAL immigrants and mock them by quoting the old Southpark episode about them "terkin our jerbs", but whether you want to admit it or not, it's happening. I don't know many, though there are some, who are against LEGAL immigration. But having just been basically run out of my 25 year business because I couldn't compete In price with people who live 12 families in one house, I can say without a doubt that this is a problem. Those guys could work for 3 dollars an hour, and all the money going in to one house, and make bank. I only had one family living in my mini van, so I couldn't work for that. Before the crash in 2008, I had many immigrants working for me. I required proof that they were legal. As best I could. But we know that fake documents are being produced, so all we can do is all we can do to ensure legality. I was hoping that this particular career would be one that was relatively safe from saturation of illegals. Again, I have no problems with anyone coming here legally, by the rules, with the same requirements that I have to earn a living. Illegals and those who knowingly employ them, are indeed Terkin our jerbs. And ruining this great country. My 2 cents

The illegal immigrants is not the problem. It's those who hire them that is the problem. It there was not a job market here for them they would go someplace else that had a job market..

Same goes for drugs. If people weren't buying drugs there would not be a market for them and the drug dealers would go elsewhere.

Actually, that was a point I intended to make. I might have gotten a little sidetracked. I really gotta remember to start watching those mirrors!!!!

I don't know man. I just can't point the finger at someone who's willing to work harder than me, for less than I will, and say "you're the problem". Sounds like he's willing to compete harder than I am to build a great life for himself. I don't care what the paperwork says about their legality. If they come here and work their asses off, and they provide more value to an employer than I can, then it's time I step up my game I guess, isn't it?

I have pictures from a few generations back of women working with hand tools in the farm fields with babies strapped to their backs. Are you kidding me?? Can you imagine seeing someone with that type of fierce determination be sent back to a third world country because nobody stamped their paperwork? That's it? Really? Their crime was improper paperwork. So now their family is not allowed to have a better life in this country where poverty means two cars, two televisions, and iPhones for everyone in the family?

I've gotta give it to em......whatever they earn, they deserve it. They can have it. I'll find something else to do where I can provide enough value to compete.

And I don't care if they pay taxes. People paid in the lower percentile pay very little anyhow. It wouldn't make any difference in the outcome either way.

I guess I just put honest, hard work in front of all else. If you want to work your *ss of for a better life I'm behind ya all the way. It's a human issue to me, not a paperwork issue. I want to be surrounded by people of pride and integrity, not just people of legal citizenry.

I don't think it's fair to say that all illegals are super-hard-working and busting their @$$es to make a living, just as it's not fair to say that they are all lazy good-for-nothing criminals who are milking the system. But you can't deny that there are both kinds, plus everything in between.

That's all beside the point though. Regardless of who they are, when someone comes into this country illegally, it's not acceptable, period. We are a nation built upon the rule of law, and you can't just pick and choose which laws you will obey and which ones you won't. If people think the law needs to be changed, there is a system for that. But until then, the law is the law, and I see no justification for giving a free pass to someone who demonstrated with their VERY FIRST ACT as an "American" that they are willing to sidestep the laws they disagree with.

Also, I just thought I'd point out the irony of my last statement (given my acceptance of tweaking paper logs) before anyone else does...

Also, I just thought I'd point out the irony of my last statement (given my acceptance of tweaking paper logs) before anyone else does...

You beat me to it by 15 minutes...and demonstrated my point that life isn't as simple as following black and white laws. I'm gonna make the best life I can for myself. If that means breaking a few laws in the process and I feel it's justified then so be it. I'll take my chances and I won't feel bad about it. It's a competitive world. I'm gonna make it as awesome as I can, and follow most of the rules in the process.

I agree with both you Brett, on your premise, and with Persian Conversion on his premise. In my company, I never had an immigrant worker tell me that he won't be in to work this Thursday because deer hunting season is starting then. And it's true, I've seen them go up the ladder with enough enchilada in hand painting all the way up. But also, in the industry I was in, the fact that 15 or 20 people contributing to one household, allowed them to "cut our throats" in cost. I couldn't possibly afford to compete. Not many Americans, supporting households, have that many people contributing. I will never say that all of anyone is doing anything. But statistically, the people who come here legally, tend to be more self sufficient and not reliant on the system. A system that the "other group which is large" contributes nothing to other than sales tax. Having worked in a n industry that is completely saturated with immigrant workers, I got to see first hand and learn some things about this. They are hard workers though. And it was quite hard to find American boys to do the work. Also, I served alongside some damn fine South Americans in the Marine Corps. And in my opinion, they deserve citizenship far more than a lot of native born Americans I've met. Again, my 2 cents.