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DEBATE * USA - President Opens Border to Mexican Trucks and Drivers
Washington,DC,USA -Human Events, by Phyllis Schlafly -12 Mar 2007: -- ... Our federal and state highways and bridges are among America's great assets; they enable us to drive freely and safely all over the country, and they belong to all of us, paid for by our taxes. But they are expensive assets; they require maintenance, repair and expansion due to rising population and traffic... To find out why the Bush administration ignores the comfort and safety of ordinary U.S. drivers, just follow the money. Big corporations are eager to have their made-in-Mexico-by-cheap-labor products delivered in the United States by Mexican drivers, who are paid 33 to 40 percent less than U.S. truckers... Over the last several years, there have been many fatal accidents caused by cars and trucks driven by Mexicans, legal and illegal. The most tragic and costly truck accident in Midwest history, resulting in the incineration of Rev. Scott Willis' six children in 1994, was caused by a Mexican truck driver's inability to comprehend warnings in the English language... Secretary Peters claims Mexican drivers will be able to understand English, but we are entitled to doubt Bush's enforcement of the English-language regulation. Mexican drivers unfamiliar with our roads and signage, plus language incompatibility, are a danger to all driving Americans...
* Time to let Mexican trucks hit the road in U.S.
Austin,TX,USA -Austin American-Statesman (subscription) -March 12, 2007: -- Long ago, the United States made a commitment that it has not yet kept, and the failure to follow through on that commitment is yet another irritant in our relations with Mexico. Mexican trucks were supposed to have been able to travel to U.S. destinations by 2000 under terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement. That hasn't happened yet because powerful interest groups have stalled that portion of the agreement for seven years.
Trucking regulation is the most arcane of topics, but the history of this unkept agreement speaks volumes about U.S. willingness to honor agreements it makes while insisting that other countries honor commitments they make to us... And while we're at it, let's compare the safety records of U.S. and Mexican trucks. John Hill, administrator of the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said that in 2006 about 23 percent of U.S. trucks were taken out of service because they failed inspections compared with 21 percent of Mexican trucks that were sidelined... "Our data show that Mexican trucks are no less safe than U.S. trucks," Hill said... Bear in mind, however, that the inspectors are stretched thin, so the statistics can be a little shaky. But they're all we have at the moment... The pilot program deserves a fair shot, if for no other reason than to generate real data about the road worthiness of Mexican trucks. More important than statistics, however, is the worth of an American commitment...
* Con-way Freight Executive Testifies Before Senate Subcommittee - James P. (Phil) Worthington Supports Cross-Border Trucking Program with Mexico
Detroit,MI,USA -BusinessNews Detroit (press release) -12 Mar 2007: -- An executive from Con-way Freight, the nation’s leading regional less-than-truckload (LTL) freight carrier, appeared yesterday before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. Con-way Freight-Southern president James P. (Phil) Worthington appeared on behalf of the American Trucking Associations, Inc. (ATA) at a hearing on “Long-Haul Cross-Border Trucking Operations with Mexico.”... Worthington spoke in support of an initiative announced last month aimed at expanding cross-border trucking operations with Mexico. The year-long pilot program will simplify freight delivery across the border by allowing U.S. trucks to transport freight directly into Mexico. Certain Mexican trucking companies will be granted rights to make freight deliveries beyond the roughly 20-mile commercial zones currently in place along the border... During his testimony, Worthington noted that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has increased U.S.-Mexico trade by more than 400 percent, while strict cross-border trucking regulations have meant delays and inefficiencies for motor carriers forced to transfer loads from one country to a neutral loading point before they can enter the destination country...
* U.S. Representatives seek audit of cross-border pilot program
Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley,MO) -March 12, 2007: -- Two influential members of Congress are asking the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Inspector General to make a thorough study of the planned cross-border pilot program involving Mexican trucks... Reps. James Oberstar, D-MN, and Peter DeFazio, D-OR, want the DOT to zero in on four areas:
* Hours-of-service compliance by Mexican drivers;
* Drug and alcohol testing standards in Mexico;
* How Mexican truckers will get U.S. insurance coverage; and
* Problems with incomplete or inaccurate data on Mexican trucks and drivers.
Oberstar chairs the House Transportation Committee, and DeFazio chairs the Transportation Subcommittee...
Labels: mexican's trucks
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