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MEXICANS' TRUCKS DEBATE * USA - Recycled trucks just one cog in complex border beef
Longview,WASH,USA -The Daily News, by Thacher Schmid -Oct 1, 2007: -- When Darlene Johnson's trucks wear out beyond repair, the heavy rigs of Woodland Truck Line find new life in retooled tractors or "tractocamiones" in Mexico, thanks to Hector Perez... Perez, 41, picks up used, hard-to-sell trucks and parts in Woodland and Toledo and ships them the California border town of Calexico. There, they're sold and disassembled, and the parts get shipped to Mexico to help truckers there upgrade their big rigs... What Perez does is part of an old tradition of recycling U.S. parts in Mexico -- where bus systems in many cities use repainted, retooled American yellow school buses... But the nature of his business gives Perez an insider's perspective on the intense and growing battle over a provision of the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement, which promised Mexican long-haul truckers access to U.S. roadways as long as they meet U.S. laws. A coalition of labor, safety and environmental groups wants Mexican truckers kept out... Perez emphasizes that safety and laws come first. Still, he is increasingly concerned about the social polarization he sees... "I hate to always have my guard up, but that's what's happening around us right now -- there's tension," he said... Forming a bridge between cultures and nations is normal for Perez, who thinks nothing of working with a broad range of actors in a tough, dangerous industry... Darlene Johnson emphasizes the importance of rules. Race and culture are diversions, she said; truckers must follow laws... "D.O.T. regulates hours of service, everything," Johnson said. "And one of the requirements is that you speak English. Period. So he shouldn't have even been in here"... Ultimately, Johnson, Perez and Mader share a passion that knows no borders."I love it," Perez said of the work. "I love trucking, I love trucks"...Labels: mexican's trucks
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