Posted on 05/23/2009 11:27:48 AM PDT by deport
By Jill Dunn
The United States may allow Mexican trucks to do business here as early as June, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood reportedly said May 22.
This spring, Congress ended the cross-border trucking program between the two countries. Mexico responded with 90 tariffs totaling $2.4 billion on U.S. products, casting a heavy burden on U.S. producers, LaHood said in a Bloomberg story.
Candice Tolliver, the new communications director for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, did not immediately respond to questions.
In recent weeks, the FMCSA began work with the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of State, Congressional leaders and Mexican officials, to propose legislation for a new trucking project that will meet Congressional concerns and North American Free Trade Act commitments.
The agency is also working with safety advocates, labor organizations and other stakeholders. To facilitate this, some FMCSA proposal information may be shared with the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee.
That committee originally planned two public meetings, but held only a May 20 session to allow all parties to hear MCSAC members discuss all topics the committee will recommend to the FMCSA, the committee said.
The workgroup held conference calls, conducted work via e-mail, and met in person this week. During those meeting, the workgroup submitted a report to the committee for approval.
It noted that if the legislation proposed is for a pilot program, it needs to meet federal code for pilot programs. Also, the FMCSA’s website should provide full program transparency.
The committee met at the May 20 meeting and approved the report, which identified program design, enforcement, data collection, information exchange and outreach, and education as categories for the proposed legislation.
Program element details include requiring:
• Each truck must have electronic on-board recorders to collect real-time vehicle information.
• Trucks be 1996 models or later.
• A statistically valid sample size and representative participants must be used.
• Allowing full U.S. accessibility to driver information, such as crashes.
• Prohibiting transportation of security-sensitive hazardous material.
• A drug and alcohol testing program for participants, including mandatory participation in a random testing program, similar to Canadian cross-border drivers.
• Mexico’s specimen collection procedural requirements be equivalent to U.S. standards.
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, has called Mexico’s retaliatory tariffs illegal.
DeFazio said the U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General reported Mexico’s carrier truck fleet and its driver licensing and safety rules did not meet U.S. law. The two countries can comply with the 2001 NAFTA arbitration panel ruling by allowing access to the U.S roadways if carriers meet U.S. safety standards.
Some tariffs were aimed at products from DeFazio’s district and from districts from Congressmen who have actively opposed the pilot program, DeFazio added.
Mexico runs a huge surplus of trade with us, they'll fold. If they're smart - but then again, we're talking about Mexico.....
Mexican drivers must further have the following:
1. DOT Safety Regs
2. 1 Year medical card
3. Valid USA Class A drivers license
4. 1 million $ liability bond for each truck on US highways
5. Maintain log books and follow the 11/14 hour of duty status
6. Each truck entering the USA must be limited to 100 gallons of diesel.
7. Fuel in tanks must be LDS or ULDS type.
8. Driver must speak fluent English
The problem is that all the rules in the world don’t mean a thing if they’re not enforced. Judging from our border situation in general, I’m not real hopefull.
We'll head 'em off at the border.
Chanrge!
I’ve posted this before, but got no answers. If any one knows:
1. Is this strictly a one way deal?
2. Do US owned trucks operate in Mexico on a reciprocal basis as per this program that’s to be restarted?
3. Or, do US trucking companies and independent operators wish to operate in Mexico?
The big point here is that this is another failure for the Obama administration.
http://www.dot.gov/affairs/cbtsip/dot2107.htm
February 23, 2007
New Program to Allow U.S. Trucks into Mexico for the First Time Ever,
Change Way Some Mexican Trucks Operate Within the United States
El Paso, Texas – U.S. trucks will for the first time be allowed to make deliveries in Mexico under a year-long pilot program that expands cross border trucking operations with Mexico, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today during a visit to truck inspection facilities in El Paso, Texas.
U.S. trucks will get to make deliveries into Mexico while a select group of Mexican trucking companies will be allowed to make deliveries beyond the 20-25 mile commercial zones currently in place along the Southwest border.
Secretary Peters said the new demonstration program was designed to simplify a process that currently requires Mexican truckers to stop and wait for U.S. trucks to arrive and transfer cargo. She said this process wastes money, drives up the cost of goods, and leaves trucks loaded with cargo idling inside U.S. borders. The Secretary added that under current rules, U.S. trucks are not allowed into Mexico because the United States refused to implement provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement that would have permitted safe cross-border trucking.
“The United States has never shied away from opportunities to compete, to open new markets and to trade with the world. Now that safety and security programs are in place, the time has come for us to move forward on this longstanding promise with Mexico,” Secretary Peters said.
(snip)
As far as I know it was a two way deal in that trucks from both countries were to be allowed to travel across the border into each others interior. I’m not sure why any US company would want to travel into the Mexican interior if vandals were any concern [land pirates]. I think the agreement was for up to 100 companies from each country to be allowed into the program.
The first US truck crossed into Mexico on Sept 16, 2007 about a week after the first Mexican truck cross into the US on Sept 6, 2007. I don’t know the total companies that were certified before the US stopped the program.
1st US Truck rolls across the Mexican border
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57660
And where is the proof that they ever stopped!!
You are looking at it the wrong way. NAFTA not only authorized cross border trucking but also cross border investment or ownership in the trucking industry.
So if a truck is domiciled in Mexico and owned by a US trucking company, is that a Mexican Truck or a US Truck?
Original NAFTA timetable on cross border trucking and investment
As far as anyone knows it's still, down there, has a new paint job and Mexican title. The ones that made it back were on a flat bed with no tires. LOL
The Terry Anderson Show...
Terry’s guest tonight will be Jamiel Shaw Sr....
His son 17-year-old Jamiel Shaw Jr. was murdered by an illegal alien gang member who had attacked a policeman but still been released from jail 24 hours earlier. Jamiel’s Mom was serving our country in Iraq at the time..
If this doesn’t make you mad and upset, nothing about the threat of AMNESTY and 30,000,000 illegal aliens, running around with carte blanche, in our country, ever will..
Call Terry LIVE 9-10 PM PST at (866) 870-57521
LIVE stream at http://krla870.townhall.com/
http://www.republicbroadcasting.org/index.php?cmd=listenliv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2257542/posts?page=1
Keeping wages low by exporting labor has sure made our economy awesome. I guess now the American truck drivers make too much money.
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