Posted on 08/26/2007 10:57:58 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
A commercial truck driver from Monterrey who has crossed Laredos international bridges countless times was stunned earlier this month when he received a ticket from U.S. inspectors because he cant speak English."We were worried," said Samuel Tamez Treviño, owner of the truck that was driven by Rafael Segovia. "We consulted with attorneys. We were somewhat relieved when they told us it would be treated as a warning. But now what are we supposed to do?"
Tamez Treviño, whose transportation company is in Montemorelos, is concerned that his drivers may be unable or unwilling to learn English, considering that even a short, intense course to learn the basics can take five months.
Segovia, who was back home and unavailable for comment, was handed the citation on Aug. 2 at about 4:45 p.m. at the Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge. He also was cited for having non-working brake lights and a leaky hydraulic hose, which are fairly routine violations.
Tamez Treviño said hes never heard of any law requiring that his drivers know English. Many company owners dont speak English, let alone their workers, many of whom dont even have a high school education.
The law requiring that Mexican truckers coming into the United States speak English has been on the books for years, but it has taken on renewed significance with the coming implementation of a new provision that will allow up to 100 Mexican carriers to go beyond the border zone. It also will allow up to 100 U.S. carriers to go deep into Mexico with their loads.
While many international trade supporters praise the move as long overdue and a natural outgrowth of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the plan has many critics, including labor leaders and some U.S. transportation companies who fear the Mexican trucks will be unsafe and create unnecessary risks on U.S. highways.
Nevertheless, a demonstration project is set to begin within a few weeks, allowing Mexican carriers that have passed the required safety audit to take their trucks onto U.S. roads.
Mexican truckers have their own complaints.
"Theyre already bothering us in the United States and it hasnt even started," said Luis Moreno Sesma, president of the Nuevo Laredo branch of Canacar, a national association of transportation company owners. "Its not fair to require English in the commercial (border) zone."
Federal transportation officials in Laredo declined to comment, but a spokeswoman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in Washington said truck drivers who are working only in the border commercial zone may be found in violation of the law for not being able to communicate in English but wont be stopped from crossing.
Those truck drivers who are headed past the border commercial zone, however, will not be allowed to continue their trip if they cant speak English, the spokeswoman said.
"The Mexican drivers may receive citations," said the spokeswoman, who declined to give her name, "but that doesnt mean they have to stop working."
Asked why the Mexican drivers werent given notice about the plan to start enforcing the law, the spokeswoman said Mexican authorities have been fully aware of the plan for some time. The Ministry of Communications and Transportation was involved in creating the demonstration program thats set to start soon.
"Whether the Mexican government has or has not informed the drivers about this law, well, thats something we cant answer for them," she said.
For his part, Moreno Sesma said transportation company owners should form an alliance to seek help from Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernández Flores.
The leader said he can see the need for drivers heading into the U.S. interior to know English, but insisted that regulation shouldnt apply to those who only drive in the border commercial zone.
(To reach Miguel Timoshenkov call 728-2583 or timo1@lmtonline.com. Laredo Morning Times staffer Norma Mendiola contributed to this report.)
“But now what are we supposed to do?”
Learn Eeeeeenglish pin head.
Motor carriers must assure that all drivers of commercial motor vehicles meet the minimum qualifications specified in Part 391.
A driver must meet the following requirements:
Be in good health and physically able to perform all duties of a driver.
Be at least 21 years of age.
Speak and read English well enough to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic and signals, respond to official questions, and be able to make legible entries on reports and records.
Be able to drive the vehicle safely.
Know how to safely load and properly block, brace, and secure the cargo.
Have only one valid commercial motor vehicle operator's license.
Provide an employing motor carrier with a list of all motor vehicle violations or a signed statement that driver has not been convicted of any motor vehicle violations during the past 12 months.
A disqualified driver must not be allowed to drive a commercial motor vehicle for any reason.
Pass a driver's road test or equivalent.
Complete an application for employment.
Possess a valid medical certificate.
For shame.
It was an oblique reference to the young Japanese fellow who shot dead - by a cop of all people - when he did not obey the common (TV & movie anyway) command of ‘FREEZE’.
Quite the stink both here (US) and there (Japan).
BTW, the kid was just ringing a doorbell.
I talked with a cousin of mine yesterday who drives long distance trucks and he said the american drivers already have a plan in place to handle Mexican trucks they catch parked at a truck stop.
According to him lots of american truckers have went to Home Depot and bought cordless drills with 1/4 inch bits. He said after having their tires drilled a couple of times they will return to Mexico and won’t want to return. A tire that has a 1/4 inch hole in the sidewall can’t be fixed and that could get expensive real quick.
This may just be truck driver bravado, I don’t know, but I do believe there will be a lot of trouble before it’s over.
Uhhh...no. I don't know of any trucks bigger than a pickup that run on gasoline anymore. Everything is diesel.
But, yes, they need to be able to speak English if they're going to drive in this country.
I have met Mexicans who have been in Texas for 15 years and they still can’t speak English. They live in Spanish speaking neighborhoods and work with other Mexican and they make no effort to learn.
Speak and read English well enough to converse with the general public, understand highway traffic and signals, respond to official questions, and be able to make legible entries on reports and records.
There's the rub. If they can't speak English, they can't read it. Next will be demands to make our highway signs bi-lingual - those little pictures aren't enough.
You TALK to SOMEONE, using the language that you SPEAK.
Cripes. Who does the copy editing these days?
Is a high school education related to being able to speak the language? Any language? Simple phrases such as 'stop', 'pull over', 'papers, please', 'destination' ought to be easy.
According to my brother who drives 18 wheelers, independent drivers gets pulled over quite often. It is those such as Walmart and large corporations with logos that don’t get stopped. Pay off or mordida by the cor porations.
They can bring their five year old with them, their bilingual five year old who is sure his trucker parent is retarded.
Coming soon to a town near you, thanks to Bush insisting that Mexican truckers come into America....unsafe trucks driven by drunken Mexicans who can't speak or read English, or English road signs.
I’m not driving my Mariner on the long haul routes, so I’m sure there’s a lot I miss. Your brother obviously knows Texas better than I do. His observations about independently owned and corporate rigs is probably accurate.
Thanks for the information.
Part 391 BTTT
So ridiculous. As if the highways and collapsing infrastructure aren’t already dangerous enough.
I know...I know!
It’s hard to find good editors these days.
In other words they’re not going to enforce this law either. Just watch, our American dispatchers,etc. will have to learn
Mexican (I’m not calling it Spanish anymore, because I can speak Spanish and that is NOT what these folks speak!) to keep their jobs.
What a bunch of crappola.
Evidently not if you're a Mexican! Viva La Raza! Those laws are for dumb Gringos. So, are they going to follow any of those regulations? Don't really see why they should bother.
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