[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

Mexico City to Los Angeles, FREE.

[Cicero]

Well, no. If you did an economic analysis, you'd almost certainly find that Mexicans are willing to pay substantial sums to be trucked like cattle into California, whereas the going rate the other way is relatively small.

It's only free when they get there, which indicates how government tries to distort market forces--until it goes bankrupt.

[ZOOKER]

There are other factors at work here.

It occurred to me that it wouldn't cost $900 (or even half of that) to hire someone to drive a U-haul from Las Vegas back to LA, empty.

So why the $900 difference between rates? Has to be supply-and-demand, the trucks are so in-demand in LA that they can charge whatever they like and someone will rent them.

It's an insight into the tremendous volume of evacuees.

[Paulus Invictus]

No, not free. An average coyote makes about $2000 per trip, if not more.