Surviving Mexico’s highways and byways

On 11.17.09, In Guest Bloggers, By PMC

reynosa_monterreyMaribeth Mellin, in a special to SFGate.com confirms what I’ve been preaching for years. That Mexico’s roads and rules are nothing like Trucking Bozo and others describe them.

Here’s her article.

I never wanted to be a road warrior in Mexico. For the first 10 years of my adult life, traveling south of the border meant taking a train to Palenque, putting my name in the lottery for a seat on the ferry across the Sea of Cortez, playing gin rummy at the station until the next bus departed , or placing my fate in the hands of a generous Bimbo bread truck driver headed in a promising direction
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NAFTA dispute costing Texas firms millions

On 11.12.09, In Cross Border Program, NAFTA, By PMC

“We're the FedEx of Mexico,” said Christian Bruns, general manager of Estafeta USA. “Since we're a majority-held Mexican company, we cannot go intrastate in the U.S. We have to use third parties in the U.S. instead of taking our own trucks.”

“We're the FedEx of Mexico,” said Christian Bruns, general manager of Estafeta USA. “Since we're a majority-held Mexican company, we cannot go intrastate in the U.S. We have to use third parties in the U.S. instead of taking our own trucks.”

NAFTA, one of the most contentious trade agreements signed by the U.S., was meant to unite the U.S., Mexico and Canada economically. But 15 years after it was enacted, it has spurred endless division, the latest being a high-level spat between the U.S. and Mexico that critics say is hurting the profitability of American companies.

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S. was supposed to allow Mexican trucks access to U.S. highways. But American unions have put up roadblocks for years by accusing Mexican trucks of being unsafe.

Since NAFTA went into effect in 1994, Mexican trucks have not had access to the U.S. market except for a September 2007 pilot program. That program allowed 100 trucking companies to move cargo beyond U.S. border towns but ended in March when the U.S. government cut its funding.

A few days after that, Mexico retaliated by slapping duties as high as 45 percent on 89 U.S. products, including pencils, pears and potatoes.
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BREAKING NEWS: FMCSA apparently to reconsider HOS rule from scratch

On 10.27.09, In FMCSA, Headlines, By PMC

fmcsalogo200From “The Trucker”

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in response to a lawsuit concerning the Hours of Service regulations, has in essence agreed to review the 2008 HOS rule from scratch and issue a new Final Rule in less than two years.

In light of the decision to reconsider the rule, the petitioners who brought the suit, Public Citizen, et al., and FMCSA have entered into a settlement agreement that will put the case in abeyance pending the issuance of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which the FMCSA must submit to the Office of Management and Budget for review within nine months of the settlement (Oct. 26, 2009) and the publishing of a Final Rule within 21 months of the date of settlement.
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U.S., Canada, Mexico making progress on trade problems

On 10.24.09, In Cross Border Program, By PMC

A junk Mexican truck? I don't think so. Image taken at Otay Mesa Pilot of a dual registered W900

A junk Mexican truck? I don't think so. Image taken at Otay Mesa Pilot of a dual registered W900

Canada’s trade minister said Monday that some progress is being made on a nagging trade issue with the United States, while U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said a tangled dispute with Mexico over cross-border trucking and California Christmas trees might resolve itself next year.

Welcoming Cabinet-level Mexican and Canadian trade officials to the city where he served as mayor, Kirk said language that removed funding for the Mexican truck program has been restored in next year’s budget bill.

“We won’t be handcuffed by prohibitory language,” he said.

When the border was closed to 500 U.S.-certified trucks in a pilot program, Mexico imposed retaliatory tariffs on 89 U.S. exports ranging from cosmetics and toilet paper to Christmas trees. The truck-and-trade issue put the Obama administration in a political fix because organized labor opposed allowing Mexican trucks an open road north of the border.
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Immigration Debate: Border Fence Provision Cut From Bill

On 10.17.09, In Border News, By PMC

The border wall along the US Mexico border. America's shame and an insult to our neighbors to the south

The border wall along the US Mexico border. America's shame and an insult to our neighbors to the south

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, says a provision to build more fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border was cut out of a federal spending bill.

The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday the provision, which would have added 300 miles to current border fencing, is no longer part of a $42.8 billion spending bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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