Posted on 09/01/2007 10:35:17 AM PDT by Dubya
Interstate truck and bus drivers across America may find themselves pulled off the highway if state troopers or vehicle inspectors find they can't speak English.
The requirement has been on the books for decades, but enforcement has begun before Mexican trucks are allowed in the U.S. interior as of Thursday.
"We have found people in violation of this for a number of years, and we're working feverishly to correct it," said John Hill, head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Since 1971, federal law has said that commercial drivers must read and speak English "sufficiently to understand highway traffic signs and signals and directions given in English and to respond to official inquiries."
Hill said the language deficiency was found mostly in the commercial zone that varies from 25 miles to 75 miles north of the Mexican border, but since inspectors there are bilingual and Mexican truckers are not allowed past that zone, it hasn't been an issue.
But after more than a decade of legal wrangling, U.S. highways are opening up.
The North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 called for Mexican and U.S. trucks to travel freely throughout one another's nations, but the provision was stalled by labor unions and environmental groups' arguments that the trucks are unsafe.
A pilot program allowing a limited number of already approved Mexican trucks to pass the border zone was set to begin as early as Saturday, but Hill said no trucks will pass beyond the border zone pending a final report by the inspector general. The program is now scheduled to take effect Thursday, though it could still be stopped by a Teamsters Union request before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California.
The language requirement is part of a long checklist, ranging from criminal background and drug and alcohol testing, that carriers must pass to go into the interior.
U.S. commercial drivers going into the Mexican interior, as part of the reciprocal agreement, will have to speak Spanish.
Under the new enforcement regulations, drivers who can't speak English in the commercial zone may be ticketed and fined. Those beyond the border zone will also be pulled off the road.
Richard Henderson, director of government affairs for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, a nonprofit group representing federal and state highway inspectors and highway patrols, said the requirement was a "no brainer."
"The bottom line is safety," Henderson said. "Obviously, if [the driver] can't speak English he's not going to know what some of the regulations are."
The court has already said they can come over.
I prefer Fractured Fairy Tales myself.
Does “Ebonics” count?
Sho’ nuf, baby!;)
At what level do that have to speak? There is a huge difference in reading road signs and conversational speech. There is also a big difference reading and understanding what you have read. I can read almost anything in German and some Chinese but often I have no clue as to the meaning of what I jest read.
What would be better for both countries is swapping trailers at a zone boarder. Mexican drivers stay in Mexico, US drivers stay in the US. All cargo is inspected at the transfer point for extra passengers, drugs or other contraband. That way we both have safe drivers and we know what is being shipped.
A new Colorado law went in effect today requiring truckers to carry chains on their trucks between Sept 1 and May 1. Do you think the Mexican truckers will have to obey this law? How do you say snow chains in Mexican? Mexican trucks don’t need no stinkin’ snow chains!
The article says: “The North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 called for Mexican and U.S. trucks to travel freely throughout one another’s nations, but the provision was stalled by labor unions and environmental groups’ arguments that the trucks are unsafe.” Notice that’s in 1994, when Clinton was president. The democrats can’t blame us for this one. I like the idea that someone had of exchanging drivers at the border. It might work.
“..pulled off the highway if state troopers or vehicle inspectors find they can’t speak English.”
Are they required to possess a drivers license?
English is the language of commerce in this country, just like the dollar is the currency of commerce.
Try using another currency to do business in this country and see what happens.
“Try using another currency to do business in this country and see what happens.”
Considering many businesses now take Pesos, I bet a person could get away with it.
They keep using that word. I do not think it means what we think that they think it means.
Like being required to register your alien status. Or being required to have a green card before you can work here. Like being required to read, write, and do arithematic in order to graduate high school.
Spineless, unenforceable "requirements."
Sure they will. Just like it is against the law for teachers in Arizona to teach in spanish. Of course, when they do teach in spanish because they CAN'T speak English, guess what happens?
NOTHING.
Once the mexican trucker are let in on the "pilot program" we will play hell getting them out. They will play hell on the highways as long as they are here. American Citizens will die for this stupidity. The enablers of this should hang.
This will be challenged in court and our elected officials will back away and not enforce this.
I know a trucker who is a Russian immigrant. He's a nice guy, but often when I am talking to him I get the feeling that he does not completely understand what I am saying. Likewise, when he speaks English I cannot always understand what he is saying. I noticed that his truck cab has a CB microphone and I have wondered how those conversations go. Maybe he just talks to other Russian truckers.
RE your pic: You collect Red Wing pottery?
Canadian dollars are happily accepted in Northern Maine.
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