Mexico Trucker Online

and damned near spilt it on “the boys”!

Once again, you read where OOIDA and the Teamsters can’t get their stories straight. Now they’re saying they did and “investigation” between 2006 and 2007 and “found” 1700 violations. Mexico Trucker has disproved this in an earlier essay. And OOIDA concentrated on the companies operations within the commercial zone. Equipment used in the 25 mile commercial zone is much different than what is used for long haul operations

The we have Henry Cuellar and Sen. John Cornyn. In my previous conversations and correspondence with Senator Cornyn, he was very mush mouthed and non committal about his support or lack of for the cross border program. Look at them now!

But read on. Contradictions to this story are highlighted in BOLD

Retaliation is expected by the Mexican government in response to a decision this week by the U.S. Congress to stop the cross-border trucking pilot program for long-haul Mexican transport companies.A provision included in the all-inclusive omnibus spending bill passed Wednesday cuts funding for the pilot program that began in September. It was an attempt to test a stipulation that is required by the North American Free Trade Agreement that has not yet been implemented.

The year-long program planned to allow up to 100 Mexican trucking companies to travel throughout the United States instead of being limited to the 20- to 25-mile border commercial zones. The same number of U.S. trucking companies are allowed, for the first time, to make deliveries throughout Mexico.

During a phone conference Thursday, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he believes that with appropriate safety measures in place to support cross-border trucking, the pilot program was a move toward improving trade and, in turn, the Mexican economy.

“I think we’ve done ourselves some harm,” Cornyn said. “If it’s a treaty obligation with the United States, it’s the law.”

Cornyn said in recent conversations with other officials he has heard that retaliation from Mexico is expected because the United States failed to hold up its end of the bargain.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said this now starts a “pull and tug between the two countries.”

“I think if the Mexicans are not allowed to come into the U.S. then I can see definitely the Mexicans are going to do the same to Americans,” Cuellar said.

Because of NAFTA, Cuellar said it is a program that must eventually establish permanently.

“A treaty will take precedent to some of the things that Congress might want to do with this,” Cuellar said.

Highway safety is the top reason cited by pilot program opponents. When the first Mexican trucks began crossing the border, Teamsters protested in Laredo and elsewhere.

Leslie Miller, spokeswoman for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said the organization is “ecstatic” about Congress’ decision.

“Personally, I hear from a lot of Teamster truck drivers who view the drivers from Mexico as very unsafe,” Miller said. “We don’t think the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration has the ability right now to make sure that safety is enforced.”

The safety administration said when it launched the program all Mexican trucking companies were required to pass rigorous tests, including drug and alcohol tests for drivers. The drivers are also held to the same hours of service standards that U.S. drivers must follow and each truck is inspected when it crosses the border, FMCSA said.

A study completed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which Miller said has joined with the Teamsters, conducted a study from September 2006 to September 2007, the year preceding the pilot program. The study identified that Mexican trucks had 1,700 safety violations, Miller said.

“We’d like to see NAFTA repealed,” Miller said. “Just because we have a so-called agreement doesn’t mean that Mexican companies can come to our country and break our law.

“It (NAFTA) has nothing to do with Mexican truck drivers,” she added. “In our view, NAFTA isn’t about trade. NAFTA’s about cheap labor.”

According to the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration, 55 Mexican trucks from 10 different companies have received clearance to operate in the United States. Four U.S. companies with a total of 41 trucks are cleared to travel into Mexico.

There are dozens more on the list, said Melissa DeLaney, spokeswoman for the FMCSA, but the Mexican companies are first strictly evaluated and must activate insurance through a U.S. carrier.

DeLaney said the department is evaluating the situation for cross-border trucking.

“We’re trying to figure out what those next steps will be,” DeLaney said.

Cuellar said there may be the potential to “shift dollars around” to continue the program. Exactimundo!

“The administration could find another way of doing this,” Cuellar said.

If not, cross-border trucking for Mexican companies is at a standstill for a year, he said.

“This is a tactic that they use,” Cuellar said. “If the Congress is not happy with something and they can’t change the law … they say, ‘OK, the law’s there but we’re not going to fund it.’”