BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Hundreds of commercial truck drivers sought places to park and wait, filling up roadsides and gas stations in Cameron County, as a computer problem kept commercial trucks from crossing the border into Mexico.
Friday night, truck traffic at Veterans International Bridge was backing up for miles from the port of entry along U.S. Expressway 77 to International Boulevard in Brownsville. Parts of the frontage road and International Boulevard also saw lines of commercial trucks.
In Olmito, trucks were filling the parking lots of gas stations and side roads, spidering in various directions from Expressway 77 and FM 511. The truck inspection areas along Expressway 77 between Brownsville and San Benito saw dozens of trucks sitting in wait. And other areas in the county also saw truckers gathering.
All were waiting for a chance to travel south into Mexico.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the delays began Friday at 7 a.m.
ValleyCentral spoke with CBP Supervisor DeLeon, who said the delays were caused by a computer issue. Officials said late Friday that they anticipated traffic would begin to move soon.
One trucker waiting at a Stripes in Olmito told ValleyCentral that he anticipated that he and other drivers would not be able to cross to Mexico until Saturday.
“It’s not common [to have a delay like this],” the trucker told ValleyCentral. “The crossings are slow this week. Mexican customs [are having] problems.”
