Posted on 07/07/2011 8:39:31 PM PDT by Sarajevo
MEXICO CITY – Mexico and the United States have signed an agreement that will allow cargo trucks from each country to circulate without restriction on the other nation’s highways, ending a long-running dispute.
The memorandum was signed here by the heads of Mexico’s Communications and Transportation Secretariat and the U.S. Department of Transportation as a follow-up to an accord reached in March by Presidents Barack Obama and Felipe Calderon.
Under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexican trucks were to have been able to circulate freely throughout the U.S. roadway system as soon as the trade pact linking the United States, Canada and Mexico went into effect in 1994.
But previous U.S. legislation left Mexican truckers restricted to a narrow strip along the border while the case made its way through the U.S. legal system.
The simmering dispute grew hotter in 2009 when Washington unilaterally canceled a pilot program – begun two years earlier – that had allowed Mexican trucks to carry cargo in U.S. border states. The Mexican government retaliated that same year by slapping tariffs on nearly 100 U.S. products.
According to the terms of the plan agreed Wednesday, trucking firms will operate initially under a provisional, 18-month permit; once that period has expired, they will be eligible for a permanent permit if they are found to be in compliance with safety and other requirements, Mexico’s Communications and Transportation Secretariat said.
The new program will consist of three stages.
In the first stage, authorities will review the permits of the trucking companies and their vehicles and drivers to verify compliance with safety and environmental norms and ensure they have cargo and civil responsibility insurance, among other requirements.
In the second stage, trucking firms must submit to two audits over a period of 18 months to ensure their operations conform to “the established road safety regimen,” the secretariat said.
Finally, in the third stage, companies will receive “definitive and irrevocable authorization to circulate freely in both nations’ territories ... in accordance with the same rules that apply to U.S. trucking firms,” it said.
Companies can apply to participate in the program beginning Thursday and authorities estimate that the first permits will be issued in August.
As a result of the agreement signed Wednesday, retaliatory tariffs Mexico had imposed on 99 U.S. products will be reduced by 50 percent beginning July 8.
The tariffs are to be eliminated completely once the first Mexican truck is allowed to enter the United States under the new program.
The secretariat said, however, that “Mexico reserves the right to reimpose the retaliatory tariffs based on any new instance of non-compliance” with treaty obligations.
The new program, which is to be evaluated monthly by a binational team of monitors, “will bring direct benefits to producers, exporters, consumers and users of cargo transport, which will become more efficient and competitive,” the Mexican government said.
I drove for a company that would send trailers in to mexico. We’d drop the “good” trailer at the boarder station where the contents would be transfered to the “mexico bound” company trailers where mexican tractors would pull them in to mexico.
When I asked why in the world do you go through all the trouble?
Dock master said simple. Send a good trailer over there with good tires, you’ll never see it again!
I started to look at the mexican trucks, and sure enough, they ALL had trailer tires on them. Tractor trailer trucks have 3 types of tires. Steer tires, drive tires, and trailer tires.
Mexico trucks will ruin american trucking.
Actually, this might be a good deal for the DOJ and the Mexican drug cartels. When DOJ has a big a$$ shipment of guns that are needed in Mexico or Honduras, the Mexican trucks that are delivering their drugs can backload the guns. Saves gas, keeps those DOJ and BATF gunrunners employed, keeps the junkies flying and enables poor Mexican morticians to make a buck.
“Mexico trucks will ruin american trucking.”
Absolutely it will. I’ve got two friends who were truckers (retired now) who are very upset over this. They are convinced it will severely damage, if not kill, American trucking.
If your friends were relying on the business generated by unloading a U.S.-bound truck in the U.S., onto a U.S. truck for shipment to the U.S., then they weren’t long for the business, anyway.
OOIDA President Jim Johnston complained the deal was inked without any advance notice or warning to the public or Congress. “If the agreement is good for the U.S. why the hell is he (Secretary LaHood) sneaking down there to sign it?” he said.
http://www.todaystrucking.com/news.cfm?intDocID=26693
Stay clear of ALL trucks on the road!
Well, maybe.
In other news...The Mexican government is going to start building detension centers on the Southern border of Mexico to block illegals (i.e. potential drug runners) from coming in from Central America.
Won’t be long before stories pop up of rival truck gangs and acts of sabotage. We’ll also hear about the drugs and illegals hiding in the containers.
...not to worry too much cause the cost of diesel should keep most of the older trucks and poorer truckers away.
They also won’t get any breaks from DTS or the Highway Patrol.
This issue has been litigated up, down, and sideways since 1994.
And there goes another source of employment for Americans....
Another FReeper pointed out the reason you never see “Used 18 wheeler for sale” ads, is because once semis have aged and been driven to the point - it no longer is practical to keep them up to US safety standards...
The old trucks are sold, in Mexico.
Any U.S. trucks that go into Mexico must take off their break lights and trailer lights, while, still, in the U.S. If they don’t, then Mexicans end up popping them off of the trucks, and then, offering them back to the U.S. drivers for money.
Hey, I have an idea! Let’s require goods to be delivered by rickshaw! Think of the jobs it will create!
Where are the teamsters? If they think American truckers are going to go with this they better think again.
By the way, Teamster truck drivers suck. The greatest irony is that a Mexican driver probably is more reliable.
They snuck this one under the radar. Bastards!
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