Mexican trucks to circulate freely in U.S.

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[ambrose]

Mexican trucks to circulate freely in U.S.

Por

Washington, D.C., U.S., November 27, 2002 (EFE) - The U.S. government will allow the free circulation of Mexican trucks in its territory starting in January under a directive signed Wednesday by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta.

"President (George W.) Bush has made good on his commitment to open the border to international trucking and cross-border regular route bus service. This will help increase trade between our countries," said a statement issued by Mineta.

The Transportation Department will review applications filed by 130 Mexican passenger and cargo transportation companies seeking to operate in the United States.

The companies will undergo security inspections and will be required to get insurance and make maintenance arrangements with U.S. firms. Their drivers will also be subjected to periodic drug and alocohol testing.

This provision will lift the last restrictions imposed on Mexican trucking and represents compliance with the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by Canada, the United States and Mexico in 1994.

Under pressure from U.S. trucking unions, President Bill Clinton's 1992-2000 administration kept out Mexican trucks, citing safety concerns.

Currently, Mexican trucks are allowed on U.S. roads only within a narrow strip 35 kilometers (21 miles) of the border.

According to official data, 4.3 million entries and departures were recorded last year along the common border. EFE

[Ditter]

I am a huge Bush family fan but this is not a good thing. I have driven in Mexico & its scarey!

[Ben Ficklin]

Of course you have no documentation. Allow me to help.

This document plainly states that the Mexican trucks will be subject to an intensified level of safety inspection during the 18 month provisional period. The document also plainly states the insurance requirements so your post above about the Mexican govt not insuring the trucks is ridiculous. Does the US govt insure US trucks.

As I stated in other posts, American trucking companies have bought Mexican trucking companies. Here you will see where Celadon Trucking bought 100% of a Mexican company. Here you will see that MS Carriers bought 50% of a Mexican company. To think that these companies would do anything to expose themselves defies commonsense.

[Ben Ficklin]

Do you have any idea what a driver in the Teamsters union makes?

[FITZ]

Do you have any idea what a driver in the Teamsters union makes?

American truck drivers seem to be pretty solidly middle class, I don't see them living in mansions or in housing projects. What's so wrong with having a middle class?

[FITZ]

The document also plainly states the insurance requirements

How many Mexicans driving automobiles across the border bother with having insurance even though it's supposedly required of all drivers? Not much happens when they break US laws.

[Ben Ficklin]

So you are saying that the union driver is worth more than non-union driver?

[FITZ]

All I said is that American truck drivers are in the middle class. If high wages are a problem, why don't we hire foreign CEO's or foreign politicians? We can get those cheaper too. Why just put the middle class out of work?

[Ben Ficklin]

Individual Mexicans driving their personal vehicle has exactly nothing to do with the subject. Stay on topic.

[Ben Ficklin]

If you will check out the classified ads, you will see that there is a shortage of drivers.

[FITZ]

Individual Mexicans are also SUPPOSED to follow US laws but never do so why would it be any different with their truck drivers. Individual Mexicans also aren't forced to have their cars checked for emissions but Americans are ---even to drive on the same American streets and cities. Why the preferential treatment?

[Ben Ficklin]

I notice that you are from Texas. Perhaps you know of Mrs Bairds Bread. Of course you know that it is owned by BIMBO. They also own Orowheat, Entemans, and other bakery companies. They are the largest in the world. The US operation is run by Mexicans.

Mexicans have bought and built companies in the US.

[Ben Ficklin]

To say that Mexicans don't have their car inspected is a untrue.

Quit changing the subject.

[FITZ]

I know about pan Bimbo ---we had a guy here who had to get health care for himself and his son after they bought and ate a loaf of that bread that turned out to have some kind of feces in it. He showed us the pictures that were taken as part of the investigation.

[FITZ]

They do not have their cars inspected for emissions before driving them into the US, ---I think you know this too.

[Ben Ficklin]

Then you must know about the Mrs Bairds union drivers in Houston who sued when they converted their drivers to contractors. They lost.

[Ben Ficklin]

The same thing is true of Vehicles from Arkansas. They have no emissions testing there. Should those vehicles be disallowed in Texas?

[FITZ]

In case you don't know:
http://www.texasep.org/html/air/air_2std_brdrair.html

A problem specific to the area is the large number of vehicles waiting to enter or exit the United States from Mexico. The El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border crossing is one of the busiest crossings along the border. Each vehicle crossing the border, about 40 percent of which have Mexican license plates, must wait at least ten minutes at the border while its paperwork is processed. Vehicles at idle produce higher emissions. In addition, Mexican vehicles, because they are older and have less stringent maintenance and emission controls, tend to be higher emitters.

[Ben Ficklin]

The same is true for vehicles registered in West Texas. If you live in Midland, there is no emissions testing. Should they be allowed to drive that car in Dallas or Houston where emissions testing is required?

[FITZ]

But in post 72 you claimed they do have their cars inspected ---there's no reason to claim they do because it's not true.

"According to data from the Juarez General Police, there are 360,000 cars operating in the City and an estimated 60% of these cars are 1985 models or older. Furthermore, the ITESM calculates that only about 15 to 20% of the cars in Juarez meet proper emission standards while the rest have either never been checked or aren't checked enough to indicate whether an engine tune up is required."

http://www.nmsu.edu/~frontera/old_1996/dec96/1296airqual.htm

[Ben Ficklin]

If the car is registered in a Texas attainment area, it has to be inpected for emissions. Regardless of who drives it. If it is register in Mexico, Arkansas, or west Texas there is no emissions testing required. If you drove your car to California, where emissions requirements are tighter than in Texas, should you be required to have your vehicle inspected there?