Mexico Trucker Online

Further proving my point that news organizations are stepping back and taking a new look at the Mexican truck issue, and not being so quick to rush to support the critics who position is anchored in exaggerated half truths and hysterical accusations.

This article, in the Los Angeles Times illustrates this while pointing out some rather obvious facts.

The fear that poorly trained Mexican truckers would jeopardize American lives may have some public appeal, but under the surface there are some problems with the argument.

The coalition that has fought the administration’s move is made up of groups that have different agendas: unions protecting jobs, the anti-immigration crowd protecting borders and highway safety groups.

On Sept. 6, a large group of Teamsters from Local 542 in San Diego held a rally to oppose the program, which the union has been doing ever since the inception of NAFTA, said Ken Lundgren, secretary treasurer of the local.

“We don’t believe they can comply with our standards,” Lundgren said. “A lot of people are trying to whitewash this issue. These trucks are in dilapidated condition.”

Lundgren asserts Mexican authorities don’t do enough criminal-background checks and drug testing of drivers. “There’s no way of checking how many hours they have been driving before reaching our border,” he adds. (They don’t do criminal background checks on US drivers so why should they on Mexican drivers, but yes, Mexico does do criminal checks as part of the licensing procedure and the US does criminal background checks as part of granting the B1/B2 Laser Visa to enter the country. Facts conveniently missing from this arguement)
Eduardo Martinez, an economist at the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp., said the opponents have badly mischaracterized the Mexican trucking industry and tried to link this issue to immigration problems, national security risks and the drug trade. Instead, it is a simple economic trade issue.

As the Mexican economy grows, the U.S. is going to have to accept the ability of Mexican corporations to conduct their operations at international standards, Martinez said.

Martinez points to Orowheat, the premium bread sold in U.S. grocery stores. It is part of Mexico-based Grupo Bimbo, which has bakeries in both countries. If Americans can accept the safety of food delivered by a Mexican-based operation, why not trucks?

No doubt, Mexico has some trucks in lousy condition and some drivers who need to go back to driving school.

But you can be sure that Mexico does not have a monopoly on bad truck drivers or unsafe trucks.

I’d like to see Boxer and Feinstein take the same level of interest in the Long Beach Freeway, which is clogged with rundown rigs that service the massive ports in our harbor.

Well said and enough said!