From Undocumented Camionetas (Mini-Vans) To Federally Regulated Motor Carriers: Hispanic Transportation In Dallas, Texas, and Beyond

Robert V. Kemper
Julie Adkins
Marco Flores
and
José Leonardo Santos

URBAN ANTHROPOLOGY  VOL. 36(4), 2007

ABSTRACT: Only recently have anthropologists and other social
scientists begun to study the emerging Hispanic-oriented trans-
portation industry in the United States. During the past 20 years,
camionetas (15-passenger mini-vans) have largely been replaced
by luxurious buses, and family o,
rms have been forced to compete
in an increasingly transnational marketplace with large American
and Mexican corporations. In this article, we examine the Hispanic
transportation system in the Dallas, Texas region, which serves as
a major hub for travelers to and from central Mexico and destina-
tions throughout the United States. More than 50 o,
rms compete
for customers in this rapidly changing marketplace. To date, these
o,
rms have gone through a process of "incorporation" driven by
local, state, and federal regulators. As the industry continues to be
more regulated and more competitive, we predict that the number
of o,
rms will decline as "consolidation" is forced on the entrepre-
neurs whose innovations were responsible for the creating
Hispanic transportation system in Dallas and beyond.

 

 

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