Posted on 12/21/2007 6:12:50 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
Retaliation is expected by the Mexican government in response to a decision this week by the U.S. Congress to stop the cross-border trucking pilot program for long-haul Mexican transport companies.A provision included in the all-inclusive omnibus spending bill passed Wednesday cuts funding for the pilot program that began in September. It was an attempt to test a stipulation that is required by the North American Free Trade Agreement that has not yet been implemented.
The year-long program planned to allow up to 100 Mexican trucking companies to travel throughout the United States instead of being limited to the 20- to 25-mile border commercial zones. The same number of U.S. trucking companies are allowed, for the first time, to make deliveries throughout Mexico.
During a phone conference Thursday, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he believes that with appropriate safety measures in place to support cross-border trucking, the pilot program was a move toward improving trade and, in turn, the Mexican economy.
"I think we've done ourselves some harm," Cornyn said. "If it's a treaty obligation with the United States, it's the law."
Cornyn said in recent conversations with other officials he has heard that retaliation from Mexico is expected because the United States failed to hold up its end of the bargain.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said this now starts a "pull and tug between the two countries."
"I think if the Mexicans are not allowed to come into the U.S. then I can see definitely the Mexicans are going to do the same to Americans," Cuellar said.
Because of NAFTA, Cuellar said it is a program that must eventually establish permanently.
"A treaty will take precedent to some of the things that Congress might want to do with this," Cuellar said.
Highway safety is the top reason cited by pilot program opponents. When the first Mexican trucks began crossing the border, Teamsters protested in Laredo and elsewhere.
Leslie Miller, spokeswoman for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said the organization is "ecstatic" about Congress' decision.
"Personally, I hear from a lot of Teamster truck drivers who view the drivers from Mexico as very unsafe," Miller said. "We don't think the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration has the ability right now to make sure that safety is enforced."
The safety administration said when it launched the program all Mexican trucking companies were required to pass rigorous tests, including drug and alcohol tests for drivers. The drivers are also held to the same hours of service standards that U.S. drivers must follow and each truck is inspected when it crosses the border, FMCSA said.
A study completed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which Miller said has joined with the Teamsters, conducted a study from September 2006 to September 2007, the year preceding the pilot program. The study identified that Mexican trucks had 1,700 safety violations, Miller said.
"We'd like to see NAFTA repealed," Miller said. "Just because we have a so-called agreement doesn't mean that Mexican companies can come to our country and break our law.
"It (NAFTA) has nothing to do with Mexican truck drivers," she added. "In our view, NAFTA isn't about trade. NAFTA's about cheap labor."
According to the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration, 55 Mexican trucks from 10 different companies have received clearance to operate in the United States. Four U.S. companies with a total of 41 trucks are cleared to travel into Mexico.
There are dozens more on the list, said Melissa DeLaney, spokeswoman for the FMCSA, but the Mexican companies are first strictly evaluated and must activate insurance through a U.S. carrier.
DeLaney said the department is evaluating the situation for cross-border trucking.
"We're trying to figure out what those next steps will be," DeLaney said.
Cuellar said there may be the potential to "shift dollars around" to continue the program.
"The administration could find another way of doing this," Cuellar said.
If not, cross-border trucking for Mexican companies is at a standstill for a year, he said.
"This is a tactic that they use," Cuellar said. "If the Congress is not happy with something and they can't change the law … they say, ‘OK, the law's there but we're not going to fund it.'"
While Cuellar and Cornyn voted in favor of the omnibus bill, they agreed that with all-inclusive spending legislation, not everything in there is favorable to a single legislator.
"The omnibus had some things in it that I found objectionable," Cornyn said. "But I'm not sure that can ever be the standard by which all appropriations are determined because invariably there's going to be something in an appropriation bill … that is a must-pass bit of legislation."
(Ashley Richards may be reached at 728-2538 or by e-mail at ashley@lmtonline.com)
“...many truckers would not go there.”
Made a one-time mistake of leaving the trailer door unlocked during an office furniture delivery in Compton, CA, back in the 80’s. We came to find most of the merchandise small enough to carry off was gone and the bums had stolen all the freight blankets.
bmflr
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According to Intrade, the winner of the December 12th GOP debate was... Duncan Hunter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1938773/posts
“Aside from a handfull of owner operators I wish them lots of luck finding American drivers who go to mexico.”
No kidding. If an American Teamster drove a truck into Mexico, deep into Mexico, does anyone think it would ever come out?
I forget the exact numbers but it is something like 400 Mexican companies that want to come up here to 4 American that want to go down. I was in Laredo and was talking to a trucker that was sending his trailer, through Mexican driver, to delivery in Mexico. I told him anything, tires, lights, etc. that were needed would be taken. He was pretty shook up. I am driving a truck because my computer programming job is in China, Vietnam or India. Is it time for another revolution yet? If my job is out sourced again I will push back.
“the pilot program was a move toward improving trade and, in turn, the Mexican economy.”
I see most benefit going to the last three words. Cheap labor and pretty soon “Cheap Truckin’”.
So this is about Mexican truckers bringing in goods from Mexico. I’d like to know how far this might go (if it ever does go). Who’s going to stop Mexican drivers from eventually taking loads from American truck drivers? Who’s going to blame companies for wanting to hire Mexican truck drivers, at the lower wages?
I hope this deal stays stuck.
Another one of those really nice places, my niece was a trucker for many years. She drove a truck of mine for a good while, I owned a little trucking company, for a while, one of those side things you get involved in.
So does anyone have *any* stories of any US truckers who have started making this Mexico run or is it just smoke and mirrors so far?
We do really dumb things sometimes.
What a xenophobic racist bigot! We welcome illegal Mexican nationals into our country to break our laws and get special treatment. Why can't we do the same for their trucking companies? < / sarcasm >
"Because of NAFTA, Cuellar said it is a program that must eventually establish permanently.
"A treaty will take precedent to some of the things that Congress might want to do with this," Cuellar said.
I would like to ask who is in control here? Did we sign away our country for NAFTA? Who is making the laws and rules that we must OBEY these days? I am getting pretty sick of these idiots in DC, What a bunch of jerks.
Not the most educated sounding post, but I am really upset.
Because they get paid by the mile. They can spend an hour going a few miles in NYC, Manhattan in particular. Furthermore, if they have a long trailer, some turns are impossible. It's a hassle that doesn't pay well. It's not due to crime.
"Actually the DOT was prohibited from inspecting the Mexican trucks, some private firm, probably a bud of Jorge's, was suppose to inspect them".
Ben Ficklin said,
"Nor can the US set higher standards for Mexican trucks than are set for US trucks."
If what org says is true - there is no standard for Mexican trucks!
Thanks for the ping to this, nic! I've been on the interstate for two days traveling and haven't been online.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has delegated key inspection requirements for Mexican trucks to a non-governmental trilateral trade association, whose goal is to impose North American standards on all commercial motor vehicles operating in Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
LINK:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58259
Sounds like a good deal to me, Henry. If only you could convince the Mexis to hold up their end up the bargain...
See post #20:
"But you should know, Cornyn, that NAFTA is NOT a treaty. It was never ratified as a treaty. It is a LAW. And because it's a LAW, and NOT a TREATY, it can be changed quite easily, IF the traitors in congress and senate only had America's interests at heart, rather than your own lined pockets."
I meant to ping nicmarlo on that post. Sorry, guys.
This just cuts funding, it doesn't stop Mexican truckers from coming in. Mexican politicians must be upset over not getting pocket money.
During a phone conference Thursday, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he believes that with appropriate safety measures in place to support cross-border trucking, the pilot program was a move toward improving trade and, in turn, the Mexican economy.
I don't know why our government leaders think WE must, at all cost, improve the Mexican economy. We'll never be able to create the economy necessary to keep Mexicans at home, if that's their thinking.
This is not just safety requirements, but also drug/alcohol testing, log book requirements, and US insurance. Keep in mind that in 2001 Congress appropriated the money for this.
And it is not just the above. The pilot program provided for additional monitoring.
Additionally, you could hardly say that the US trucking industry is a paragon of virtue. While there may be an upper tier of trucking companies who are compliant with all the regs, there is an much, much larger, lower tier who stay in business only by breaking regs. There are over 60,000 trucking companies in Texas. You should be pushing to inspect all US trucks to the same standard being imposed on Mexican trucks.
Very apparent you have never driven an eighteen wheeler through a California inspection station. LOL
It is interesting that you should mention California, because California, back in the 90s, set up the most comprehensive system of inspecting Mexican trucks and to this day say that there is little, if any, safety difference between US and Mexican trucks.
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