Mexican truck drivers take English exam in Spanish

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | March 14, 2008 | Jerome R. Corsi

[Man50D]

Mexican truck drivers allowed to travel throughout the U.S. under a Bush administration demonstration project may not be proficient in English, despite Department of Transportation assurances to the contrary.

A brochure on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's website instructs Mexican truck drivers, "Did you know … You MUST be able to read and speak English to drive trucks in the United States."

Still, at the Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing Tuesday, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and DOT Inspector General Calvin L. Scovel III reluctantly admitted under intense questioning from Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., that Mexican drivers were being designated at the border as "proficient in English" even though they could explain U.S. traffic signs only in Spanish.

In the tense hearing, Dorgan accused Peters of being "arrogant" and in reckless disregard of a congressional vote to stop the Mexican trucking demonstration project by taking away funds to continue the project. Toward the end, the senator asked if it were true Mexican truckers could explain U.S. traffic signs only in Spanish when given English proficiency tests at the border.

"Does the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration test for English proficiency at the border include questions about U.S. highway signs?" Dorgan asked.

"Yes," Scovel replied. "The FMCSA English proficiency test at the border did not originally include U.S. highway signs, but now it does."

"Do you show a driver an octagonal 'STOP' sign at the border and qualify him if he explains the sign means 'ALTO'?" an incredulous Dorgan pressed.

"Alto" is the Spanish word for "Stop."

[brityank]

I got my driver's license after I'd been in Germany for a few months and only spoke about a dozen words of German. The workbook was in English as was the test.

What German company did you drive for, and what cargo did you haul?

< ? >

Thought so; there's a vast difference between getting a garden-variety passenger car license and a haulage license. Mexicans, Italians, Germans, even Brits that drive on the wrong side of the road -- all can use their home country license in the States to rent a passenger car. None of them can drive a truck or a bus.

[Marie]

Thought so;

*I* didn't drive huge semi trucks in Germany.

But my husband and many other soldiers sure did.

They had 18 year old US soldiers driving huge trucks loaded with equipment all over Germany. (So it's even worse. These kids had very little driving experience, in addition to language barrier issues.)

When we stop do these things in other countries, then we can put a stop to the practice here.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

>>They had 18 year old US soldiers driving huge trucks loaded with equipment all over Germany. (So it’s even worse. These kids had very little driving experience, in addition to language barrier issues.)<<

More to the point, how much experience do you have driving on Mexican highways? Have you been in your lane going straight ahead when a Mexican truck traveling in the opposite direction decides to pass and forces you to the shoulder? I’m not talking about rare occurrences, this is standard practice there. Have you seen a driver stopped by the Mexican police pay “la mordida” and no record of the incident is filed? Again, this is normal in Mexico.

>>When we stop do these things in other countries, then we can put a stop to the practice here.<<

With all due respect, BS. Since Union Carbide released enough methyl isocyanate in Bhopal, India, to kill 3000 people it’s OK if foreign companies do that here?

[brityank]

But my husband and many other soldiers sure did.

Sorry, Marie, but driving in a military convoy is vastly different than going OTR on your own. Back in the 60's I drove all over the bases I was assigned to, but didn't have any civilian license for outside the gate.

My sincere thanks to you and your husband for your service -- yes, you served too, and all to often we tend to forget that.

[NewRomeTacitus]

I know this...granting illegal aliens any break at all opens the floodgates of second-guessing and reinterpretation of law. The law means what it says and that will have to do despite a RINO or a Democrat Presidency.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

>>I know this...granting illegal aliens any break at all opens the floodgates of second-guessing and reinterpretation of law.<<

You got that right. I wonder if McCain, if elected, would nominate a judge who would invent new “alien rights.” I don’t trust any of the remaining candidates.

>>The law means what it says and that will have to do despite a RINO or a Democrat Presidency.<<

From your lips to God’s ears.

[stevie_d_64]

Good stuff! Must add to the list...;-)

[NewRomeTacitus]

No one in power is really listening when we talk at them. I believe that the Clintonistic “deciding by poll data” method of ruling has become status quo.

I also think they throw a black bag over the head of every newly elected as soon as their foot touches the D.C. street to hustle him or her off to their first programming session/reality check. And the people I know regard ME as overly optimistic.

God bless America - I loved her dearly.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

>>I also think they throw a black bag over the head of every newly elected as soon as their foot touches the D.C. street to hustle him or her off to their first programming session/reality check.<<

I think that is part of the story, but the POTUS candidates themselves stopped listening (although they pretend to listen) long before the election.

[upchuck]

Nice pic.

But IMHO, it would make a much stronger statement if you shrunk it down so the entire pic could be seen at once on a monitor.

Plus, you’d be showing some compassion for those of us stuck on dialup.

If you don’t have thumbnail software, try this, it’s free:
http://fookes.com/ezthumbs/index.php

[upchuck]

Precisely!

Read the tag.

If we can maintain the current ratio or strengthen it a little, I think we could effectively tie up any “bad” legislation or judge nominations that might happen in the next four years.

[upchuck]

Wow, Photobucket doesn’t like you :)

[AuntB]

I just got an email about this hearing, etc. You can send free faxes on this situation here:

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