Mexico, the eighth largest producer of trucks in the world and the fourth largest exporter, is playing an increasingly important role at Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA).
With a population close to 123 million and free trade agreements with 46 countries, President and CEO of Daimler Trucks Mexico Flavio Rivera says about 80 percent of the country’s freight load is moved by trucks, or roughly $3.1 billion in goods.
“Truck exportation represents 6.3 percent of the country’s GDP,” Rivera says, adding he expects to see upwards of 2 percent GDP growth this year.
Last year, Mexico produced 150,889 trucks – down from a record of almost 191,000 the year before. Despite the dip, Rivera says, “The presence of the trucking industry in Mexico has been gaining ground.”
While Mexico’s overall Class 8 truck market is up slightly this year from 2016 by approximately 45 units, Class 8 tractors have dipped slightly year-over-year.
Many different industries have established manufacturing facilities in Mexico, which Rivera says helps drive demand for trucks in the country.
Freightliner owned 39.1 percent of the Mexican truck market through October.
