Posted on 11/27/2002 6:17:14 PM PST by ambrose
Alto senor, Alto!
And of course the humble American drivers and passengers getting run over by confused truck drivers who couldn't read the signs. Since NAFTA is justified by American garment workers earning too much ($8-10 an hour) and American factory workers earning too much ($10-15 an hour) and American truck workers earning too much ----which group of Americans is earning what they should be earning ----or should all middle class jobs be replaced with foreign laborers and employees?
You obviously don't drive a truck. The current level of inspections of US trucks is a minicule percentage of the trucks on the road. Many weigh stations are closed a large part of the time. Adding the Mexicans will just make it harder for DOT to get around to all of the trucks.
This issue is going to come to a head as US truckers figure out that the Mexicans are cutting their throats price-wise to get backhaul.
Then the shooting starts.
As for the rest of your last reply, let me say that I am on this thread to try to clear up all the misinformation about Mexican trucks being allowed in the US. I've let you move the subject around with only mild complaining. I'm not really interested in discussing the merits of NAFTA or employment, or wage rates.
The western worlds birthrate is so low that there are not people to fill the jobs. Even Pat B will agree with that statement. It is worse in Europe than it is in the US. In the 90s we absorbed a lot of immigrants a kept a very low unemployment rate. Even today, after the turndown and 9-11 our unemployment is relatively low and we are still absorbing immigrants.
All western economies are based on growth and expansion. We borrow today and pay that debt tomorrow with inflated dollars. But with out an adequate workforce the economy will not expand and everything will collapse. We have no choice but to import labor.
We are more fortunate than Europe. We have access to Mexican and South American labor(Christians) whereas Europe will have to depend on the muzlims. And muzlims will never assimilate. I know that you will disagree with me, but mexicans will.
Most of the NAFTA traffic will be thru Texas.
While much of the traffic will originate through the boprder states, I assure you that it will soon spread all over the US as Mexican truckers drive to the nearest load that will get them back to the border.
The laws against this will not matter, much as they didn't during the era when the Teamsters constituted most of the drivers, and the ICC was the "authority" that "regulated" the trucking industry. So-called "Gypsy's" ran unregulated loads all over the country in direct contravention of the Federal rules, because they could do it much cheaper and faster than the regulated companies.
This situation will be no different than that was except that the flow of money will head south of the border and the US will become dependent on Mexican truckers. When the day comes that they strike, the US economy will collapse in short order.
If you don't believe me, then go find a retired trucker who remembers the teamsters strike of the 60's. They very quickly got the concession they were looking for, because the stores, and in particular the grocery store rapidly emptied and the people started telling the govt to settle the strike no matter what is took. My entire family was inmvolved in the trucking business in those days, and I remember it very well.
There is a history available which would be helpful in predicting how much of a problem it might be. You have to look seperately at Canada bound Mexican trucks and border zone Mexican trucks.
As you know, these Mexican trucks are allowed to drive across the US to Canada, I assume since 95. DOT has found a few of these Mexican trucks where they are not supposed to be but the numberes are few. I recall these instances to be less than a 100 per year. Hoffa and his supporters in Congress did a "tip of the iceberg" study that confirmed this. Incidentally, there has been no safety problems either in the US or Canada with these trucks. I have seen a few myself on I 30 between Dallas and Little Rock and except for the script on the vehicle, they look just like a US truck.
As for the trucks limited to the border zone, those violations run about 500 per year. I don't know about other border states, but Texas has a program in place, that is above and beyond DOT, to monitor this.
To allow and regulate will likely result in fewer violations.
I know that many fear the Meican trucks as to what impact they might have US truckers. Let me point out that Hoffa has signed off on the Murry-Shelby amendment. Also let me point out that it was the Mexican govt that banned US truckers in the early 80s to protect their truckers. The US banned Mexican truckers only in retaliation.
Far and away the largest road use tax is included in the price per gallon.
Currently, only about 2% of trucks are inspected during any part of the loads movement, and the addition of the Mexican trucks will just exacerbate this problem. In addition, I could tell you about the proclivity of the FL DOT to let the non-English speaking drivers ( which is lillegal in the first place) slide on violations due to the language barrier and the hassle that causes for the DOT officer (they are required to find an interpreter), but that is another, although related story.
This whole issue is right at the heart of the US economy, and is going to cause problems like you won't believe until the fallout starts. Truckers are an independent bunch, and will do whatever it takes to keep their business and support their families. This thing is going to get physical before it's over.
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