Mexico Trucker Online Articles

Supporters of US Trucker Jabin Bogan ignore the facts, to try case in court of public opinion

Supporters of US trucker Jabin Bogan, imprisoned in Mexico and charged with illegally introducing prohibited ammunition into the country continue to ignore the facts surrounding the case while spinning a story they hope will hit home in the court of public opinion.

Most of us who are real professional truckers, cannot comprehend how Bogan, a relative rookie with less than 4 years experience, could end up with his rig in Mexico. After all, the route into Mexico is well marked and the route Bogan was taking would have necessitated a deliberate left hand turn off the border highway to put him onto the bridge.

Only Bogan can tell us what his intent was. But I think we can all agree that Bogan is a person with a slop jar full of stupid who probably shouldn’t possess a CDL based on his lack of judgment that landed him in one of the most notorious prisons in Mexico. Did Bogan deliberately enter Mexico with the intent of smuggling the ammunition? I don’t believe he did but what I think and what everyone else thinks is immaterial at this point.

The point that Bogan’s supporter and those who are indecisive choose to ignore is that Jabin Bogan is guilty of the charge leveled against him. Introducing ammunition reserved for the exclusive use of the military into Mexico.

Let’s put aside the how’s, why’s, wherewithal’s and everything else. Let’s ignore the spin from his family, the ever changing scenario coming from his boss Dennis Mekenye and the rest, who just can’t seem to get it quite right and concentrate on the only thing that matters.

DID U.S. TRUCKER JABIN BOGAN ENTER THE UNITED STATES OF MEXICO WITH ARTICLES PROHIBITED UNDER THE LAWS OF THAT SOVEREIGN COUNTY?

There is only one answer to that question and that answer is a resounding and emphatic YES!

Those are the facts that his supporters choose to ignore, because, well, “it’s Mexico, and what right does a corrupt little third world country have arresting an innocent American truck driver”? I’m serious! You can’t make this crap up.

Enter into the fray Aubrey Allen Smith, a self described “truckers advocate and Dan Fuller, another trucker with an online presence. Smith, well known for his distaste and ignorance about Mexico and who never misses an opportunity to bash anything to do with Mexico, came out with an internet radio program about the Bogan case.

Dan Fuller, established a free web page to facilitate spreading the misinformation and catering to like minded people who think Mexico has no place in this hemisphere, much less a voice. Mr. Fuller’s justification for pursuing this is because he “remembers accidentally crossing into Canada numerous times in his career.”  While that claim is as dubious as Bogan’s claim of “accidentally” entering Mexico, we’re sure he’ll stick to his story, regardless that it makes him look as incompetent as Bogan.

But back to Aubrey Allen Smith and his little internet radio program. Carefully choreographed with dissenting opinion not allowed and callers who do not agree with his point of view, quickly dispatched.

His guests included Bogan’s mother Aletha Smith, Carlos Spector, Bogan’s US attorney coordinating things on the US side, Dennis Mekenye, owner of DEMCO Transportation, Bogan’s employer and Howie Glaser, the owner of United Nations Ammo Co., the intended receiver of the ammunition.

Here’s a quick synopsis of the players.

Aubrey Allen Smith: Continued to point out he had copies of the Bill of Lading, Cashiers check for the ammunition and other evidence that it was a legal load, that Bogan is innocent and must be released. Smith deliberately misses the point or chooses to ignore it because it does not fit his agenda.

Dennis Mekenye: Make the incredulous and unbelievable statement in a voice with a heavy African accent, that he was born and raised along the border and knows how mistakes happen, then turns around and say he’s only been there a few times. He further claims that he tracks all of his vehicles with GPS that “pings” the truck every “5 minutes”, which is unrealistic, because it would be cost prohibitive. He further states that his abysmally poor safety record with the FMCSA should not be held against him and hopes said agency will issue a letter further absolving his company of any guilt.

Aletha Smith: I have sympathy for the woman, as a parent who has a child in trouble. But that feeling of sympathy has a limit and the limit is reached listening to her in this interview. At times, it seemed she was guiding the conversation in a pre planned direction, asking leading questions of the others so they could keep their stories straight. And then at what she considered the appropriate moment, the spirit hit her and oh my God, all the hysterical testifying, signifying and glorifying while the tears flowed. Enough about her.

Howie Glaser, owner of United Nation Ammo: This guy, in my opinion is a real sleeze. He’s lost $100,000.00 in product that according to him cannot be replaced but everything is lollipops and rainbows. All he is concerned about is that poor innocent boy being unfairly held in Mexico.  Anybody believes that, I’ve got a tropical island in the middle of Wyoming I’ll sell you.  His company, United Nations Ammo, was established in 2007, right about the time President Obama was elected and the rush was on to stock up on ammunition for the coming civil war, race war, whatever war the far right wingnuts could think up. His inventory has little to do with supplying the hunter or sportsmen unless said hunters and sportsmen are out in the desert perhaps, hunting Mexicans or preparing to wage war against our government. Legitimate hunters and sportsmen have no need to buy online from a store that sells parachute flares, .50 caliber and lower ammo including tracer rounds and other things of a quasi military nature. And Glaser can’t decide what was in the shipment he paid $100k for. At various times it’s been ammo for sniper rifles, AR-15 and M-14  ceremonial rifles, which all of us veterans know uses blanks. In this interview he claimed the shipment was 250,000 rounds of .308 caliber and 18,000 rounds of .223 ammo.  Next time he’ll probably claim it was .22 caliber blanks. Glaser also misses the point. If it is ammunition, it is illegal to possess or import into Mexico.

Carlos Spector, El Paso Attorney: This man deserves and has a little respect from me for telling the truth, at least partially. He acknowledged that the justice system has made great strides toward modernization in recent years, which contrasts with Allen Smith’s assertion that it’s totally corrupt. Spector lays the corruption at the feet of the officials that inspected, discovered and arrested Bogan, and personally I think the blame is misplaced. In recent years, Aduanales Mexico, Mexico Customs has rid themselves of the old corrupt agents at the border and replaced them with college educated, thoroughly vetted and trained agents who, from my perspective and experience are dedicated to their jobs, and all have taken required courses in English.

Spector went on to explain that they’re “Judge shopping” hoping to get a particular judge in Juarez that would be sympathetic to Bogan’s case. Now, in my mind, that’s corrupt but I doubt if we hear Allen Smith or the rest complain since the corruption would benefit his cause. Hypocrisy anyone?

Spector also confirmed what I’ve said before. The load of ammunition is gone, confiscated, hasta la buh bye… To bad so sad, sucks to be you Howie, and this is a good thing. There is no telling how many lives will be saved in the deserts of Arizona, in Mexico and in the rest of the US with this crap off the streets.

Where Spector loses my respect was when he revealed his plans going forward. He stated that as soon as information is received, he’ll urge everyone to flood the Mexican prosecutors, the court the case is assigned to and the judge with phone calls, email and snail mail, demanding Bogan’s quick release.

Considering some of the comments we’ve seen around the internet regarding Mexican trucks, Bogan and other issues regarding Mexico, this kind of support could help Bogan get the full 30 year sentence.

At the end of the day though, Allen Smith and the rest can beat their chests, shout their demands and probably, profit from Jabin Bogan’s situation and they will still refuse to acknowledge one very simple but vital fact, and that is that Jabin Bogan Akeem is guilty of the crime he is charged with.

Editorial – Roadblock to free trade – It’s time to comply with NAFTA and open U.S. highways to Mexican trucks

Josue Cruz, a driver for Transportes Olympic inaugurated the new Mexico Cross Border Pilot Program when he arrived in Laredo on his first trip to Garland Texas

Nearly 20 years after President Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement, a key provision that grants Mexican trucks access to U.S. highways remains stalled. Staunch opposition from unions and consumer groups in this country, which argue that unsafe foreign trucks and inexperienced drivers put U.S. jobs and lives at risk, have successfully shut down even the most modest attempts to comply with NAFTA.

In October, the Obama administration tried again, with a pilot program granting three Mexican trucking firms limited access to U.S. roads. So far, just two carriers have sent trucks into the country — a small but positive development. But now, the Teamsters union and the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen have asked a federal judge in Washington to shut down the program because transportation officials failed to comply with national regulations that require environmental impact tests before starting any pilot program.

Their objections are specious, and old news. Both groups made the same sort of legal arguments when President George W. Bush announced plans to start a similar pilot program in 2001. And in 2004, the Supreme Court found that the Bush administration did not need to conduct environmental impact tests and that the U.S. could allow Mexican trucks across the border. The program was finally started in 2007 but came to a halt in 2009 when Congress pulled the funding.

If the Teamsters and other groups are so worried about safety and job security, they should work with the Obama administration to develop additional guidelines and tests that will assuage their concerns. The administration has already shown itself willing to collaborate by adopting some of their demands, such as requiring monitoring devices in all Mexican trucks as a way to track the number of hours drivers spend on the road, as well as mandatory drug testing and language proficiency rules — even though there is little reason to believe that Mexican drivers pose a greater hazard than Canadian truckers, who already have access to U.S. roads and are not required to meet similar standards. In fact, an 18-month study conducted during the Bush administration’s pilot program found that the safety records of Mexican truckers were comparable to those of their U.S. counterparts.

The United States can’t continue to violate its free-trade obligations. Mexico is too important a trade partner, and failure to meet our end of the bargain has already led to retaliation. In 2010, Mexico slapped hefty tariffs on nearly 100 U.S. products — including California wines, strawberries and oranges — totaling well over $2 billion. The U.S. signed on to NAFTA. Isn’t it time it made good on its word?

This editorial appeared in the January 15, 2012 edition of the LA TIMES

OOIDA asks “Is it racist to oppose the Mexican cross-border program?”

Mexican truckers take pride in their rides such as this Kenworth photographed in Laredo Texas. This is what opponents refer to as "dangerous", "sub standard Mexican junk"

That’s the question being posed on the Landline Now Media blog by Sandi Soendker, and it’s a valid question.

The obvious answer to the question is of course, no. However, in their absence of a credible argument opposing the cross border trucking program with Mexico, OOIDA and other opponents are knowingly and willfully preying on the ignorance and prejudices of their members and the public at large, to turn opinion against Mexican truckers.

So far once we can agree with OOIDA when Soendker writes;

If American truckers are opposed to cross-border trucking with Mexico, are they racists? If they are concerned with issues like safety, jobs, national security, fair treatment – is that racism? Concerns for other issues like immigration, customs, reduced tax revenue for roads, lack of clear enforcement – is that racism? Of course it isn’t.

The safety issue has been debunked. Mexican trucks and their drivers have been shown to be as safe, and in most cases safer, than their US and Canadian cousins.
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A Good Example of the drivel from Mark Reddig

The countdown has started to the opening day of cross-border trucking with Mexico.

And even as that date approaches, efforts by OOIDA to stop the program dead in its tracks continue as well.

Truckers and others are also hitting the phone lines, calling members of Congress, federal officials and more, trying to get the message across to a Congress bullied and bruised from the heavy-handed lobbying of the ATA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (an organization that clearly doesn’t deserve the name,) and the huge multinational companies that crave the cheap labor south of the border.

For some folks, it’s all a bit much. They are tired of having to fight this battle over and over, tired of the fact that even when Congress votes 411-3 to stop this idea, that the friends of big business keep bringing it back again and again, like some kind of monster in an old horror film that – no matter how many times you shoot it – just keeps shambling forward.

But this battle is too important. And those people should not be rewarded for their attempts to thwart the will of the American People, and of Congress.

We need to flood Capitol Hill with phone calls, letters, faxes and emails.

You’re likely to receive a response, but it very well may not say what you’d like to hear.

Don’t let it get you down or dissuade you from continuing this fight.
I recently called all three of the folks who represent me in Congress – my representative and both of my senators.

I received, in return, form letters. That’s not a big surprise.

However, what was a big surprise to me is that the members’ letters indicated that at least one of them is accepting this drivel from DOT that they’ve fixed all the problems and we’re good to move ahead with this.

Believe me, I will call and correct that error. I hope all of you will join me.

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Absent any proof, opponents continue to scare the hell out of Americans into thinking that 100 or so Mexican trucks will put tens of thousands of US truckers out of business and into the welfare line.

Ridiculous when you consider Canada has 37,000 or more trucks with free access to the US, and they have not cost us jobs. Landline Now host Mark Reddig doesn’t miss an opportunity to warn US truckers that 100 Mexican trucks will “destroy” the US trucking industry. And because of ignorance, bigotry and prejudice, people believe such an incredulous lie.

When they refer to “national security”, they want you to believe that terrorists are lining up to hitch a ride on the first Mexican trucks to cross the border while ignoring the fact that their are more than 25,000 Mexican drayage trucks who cross the border daily. They also pointedly ignore the fact that to our north, across one of the longest unsecured borders in the world, is the largest population of people from the middle east, the so called “New Canadians”, who can cross our border at will. And with a Canadian commercial license, they can do so in a big rig.

They talk of “fair treatment” which is nothing more than equal access. Many people don’t know that after we slammed the door in the face of the Mexicans in 2009, they continued to allow American carriers total access to their country. Four US carriers continue that access today.

OODA President Jim Johnston stood at a stakeholders meeting in 2009 before Secretary Ray LaHood and when asked about Canadians breaking our cabotage laws, shrugged his shoulders and said “It happens” and in the next breath insisted Mexican carriers should be barred because they “might” be inclined to break cabotage, notwithstanding the fact that if a Mexican breaks our cabotage laws, he is also violating his H2b visa and can have it cancelled and himself deported.

On the other end of the debate, we welcome pieces of crap such as this old FLD Freightliner from Canada into this country and onto our roads, without the least bit of worry about the safety and mechanical condition of the rig

They’ll have you believe that the Mexican carriers who will enroll in the program will be waiting to carry drugs and illegals into this country. 100 of the most closely monitored, strictly controlled trucks on our roads, while ignoring the report of the one of the largest cocaine busts in Nevada history, on a Canadian truck, a story which only garnered a mention on LandlineNow. Had it been a Mexican truck, all hell would have broken loose over at OOIDA.

OOIDA and other opponents have stooped as low as to turn to acknowledged hate groups such as FAIR, to spread their agenda against Mexico and their trucking industry, while keeping a safe distance from the results of their efforts. Using the hatred and bigotry of these fringe nutcases to get their message out. Disgusting!

Another Mexican Kenworth (KenMex) in Laredo Texas. How different is this from what you're driving?

So is it racist to oppose cross border trucking with Mexico? Not in the least if you have a valid reason and proof to back up your position. But to use the ignorance, prejudice and bigotry of some to promote hatred and violence against the Mexican truckers is decidedly racist.

Stop the Madness: A Public Thank You For Correcting a Broken Trucking Promise

Sun sets over potato fields owned by Koompin Farms in American Falls Idaho

By Cheryl Koompin – American Falls, Idaho
Amid all the partisan fights in Washington over budgets and debt ceilings, the Obama administration quietly solved a $2-billion problem earlier this month.

On July 6, the United States signed an agreement with Mexico that ends a vexing dispute over trade and trucks. It wipes out Mexican tariffs that have hurt potato farmers like me as well as many other Americans during the toughest economic times many of us have ever experienced.

We already face enough challenges on America’s farms, from worrying about the weather to figuring out how we’re going to pay for skyrocketing fuel and fertilizer costs. The last thing we need is interference from Washington—but that’s precisely what we received when Congress decided to break a treaty promise to Mexico.

The White House deserves congratulations for putting a stop to this nonsense. The controversy never should have erupted in the first place and it dragged on for far too long. Right now, however, I’m just glad it’s over—and I’m pleased to give the Obama administration the credit it deserves for negotiating a good settlement.

The root of the problem has been the refusal of Congress to abide by a provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Clinton-era economic compact aimed at easing the flow of goods and services across the borders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

NAFTA has achieved its main goal of boosting trade ties with our closest neighbors. Because of the agreement, U.S. exports are up and our costs as consumers have gone down.

At the behest of special-interest groups and their allies in Congress, however, one provision of NAFTA failed to become a reality. Long-haul Mexican truckers were supposed to receive access to U.S. highways as they delivered products to American consumers who wanted them. This aspect of the treaty made economic sense because it eliminated many of the delays and inefficiencies associated with border crossings, which translate into higher prices for ordinary Americans. It also guaranteed that Mexican truckers would meet U.S. safety standards.

Just as this part of the deal was going into effect, Big Labor launched an ugly campaign against Mexican truckers, suggesting that they drive dangerous jalopies that threaten murder and mayhem on American roads. This was pure propaganda. Mexican trucks that were certified to drive on U.S. highways were as trustworthy as American trucks. Safety data proved it.

Unfortunately, the smear job worked. Congress blocked the trucks from entering the United States, even though this meant backing out of an international treaty obligation.

So the Mexican government retaliated. They legally slapped stiff tariffs on a wide range of American products, including the frozen potato products that are at the heart of my farming operation here in Idaho. They also targeted dozens of other U.S. agricultural goods, such as cherries, pears, and Christmas trees.

My farm’s sales to Mexico plummeted. Processing plants in our region laid off workers. A couple of them shuttered.

Who benefited? The Canadians. Their business went up as much as ours went down.

I was furious—not at the Mexicans, who simply wanted a fair shake, but at our own government for flouting its commitments and essentially inviting this retaliation. Farmers like me became casualties in a trade war that we neither started nor wanted.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that American businesses lost $2 billion. This was Washington’s accomplishment in the service of a special interest.

So I’m glad this madness is finally over. Better late than never.

“We have an agreement that not only will ultimately eliminate punitive tariffs, but it also provides opportunities to increase U.S. exports to Mexico and helps to expand jobs,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

The deal also restores our country’s reputation because it finally puts us in compliance with treaty obligations we had ignored for years. If we refuse to keep promises to one of our closest trading partners, other nations will be reluctant to lower tariffs on anything made in America.

Let’s hope that the Obama administration now builds upon this success and finds new ways to help us export our goods and services.

Cheryl Koompin is a partner in Koompin farms, producing commercial and seed potatoes, feed corn, fresh peas, wheat, medicinal safflower and mustard in Power County, Idaho. Cheryl is a guest author for Truth About Trade & Technology. www.truthabouttrade.org

 
Cross posted from AGWEB

Is Racism at work in Border Trucking debate?

Mexican T-660 Kenworth southbound for Monterrey on Mx 85

That’s the question posed on the blog “ALL THAT’S TRUCKING” as she writes about the many nasty, racially tinged comments being thrown about as the red hot debate over Mexican cross border trucking heats up once again, and the usual actors, OOIDA, TEAMSTERS and their allies in talk radio fan the flames of their listeners prejudices.   “Is racism rearing its ugly head in the debate over the long-delayed opening of the border to long-haul Mexican trucks, as required under the North American Free Trade Agreement that was signed nearly 20 years ago? I’m not saying anyone who opposes opening the border is racist or prejudiced, but in reading and listening to some of the comments on the debate, I can’t help but think it’s a factor.” says Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief at truckinginfo.com She goes on to write;

Many in this country appear to believe in a stereotype of Hispanics as lazy, greasy, thieving good-for-nothings — you know, the guy in the sombrero sleeping under the cactus. But in case you haven’t looked lately, Mexican immigrants (both legal and illegal) have become a vital part of our economy. Check out “A gringo in the lettuce fields” and think about how long you could keep up with one of these “lazy” migrant workers. Back in 2004, the film “A Day Without a Mexican” tried to “make the invisible visible” by taking a satirical look at what would happen to California if its Mexican population suddenly disappeared. Lawn work? Restaurants? Nannies? Construction crews? Maids? Car washes? Nada. So I wonder: Are some in the trucking industry letting racism, either consciously or subconsciously, affect their views on the wisdom of opening the border?

You can read the rest of the article here We tend to agree with her, especially after reading some of the 2274 comments received following the call to comment on the Cross Border Proposal by FMCSA. Comments such as this one, calling into question an FMCSA officials heritage, as if it matters.

This Mexican trucker issue is an insult to every hard working American!! (noting you are Mexican or of Mexican descent?). I have put much thought toward this issue and have come up with many reasons this should not become law. That said, bottom line??? There is NOTHING of value for us LEGAL Americans to support such a bill. Don’t do it! This is just one more idiotic move of Obama! We are Americans! Not Russians/Soviets, Not Mexicans, Not Chinese. This country as we have known it is rapidly deteriorating. Thank you for your time. Geoffrey A. Blair Lease operator

Or perhaps this one, proof that stirring the pot of hysteria and prejudice has worked for groups like OOIDA and TEAMSTERS

Hello, I am a US born citizen. I am also a self-employed truck driver. Cross border trucking will be devastating to the trucking industry. It will drive wages and rates that are already low ,even lower. Last year was the safest highways on record and you want to bring in the Mexicans. They will not abide to our laws because they won’t understand them. Highway travel will become unsafe because they can’t read ENGLISH signs. They will be making wrong turns in front of us and our families. U-turns on a Interstate Highway will become the norm and very dangerous. Mexican trucks are not maintained to our standard. When there is an accident (and there will be) ; how will the victims collect for damages or even worse ? Illegal drugs will be more common. Rape and crime will be on the increase because these people do not have the same morals as an AMERICAN. PLEASE WAKE UP AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT ! KEEP THE MEXICANS IN MEXICO – MIKE BOOKS

Here’s another one submitted by “Anonymous”, rightfully so with his apparent lack of education and more.

what kind of idiots are you . taking americans jobs away and allowing non americans ones that dont pay taxes to work here what the fuck are you dong . in this day and time when so many are out of work you alow this to pass do you know how many trucking companies are going to be out of work because of this

That one is sure to get the FMCSA to sit up and take notice. Actually, when you ignore the more than 1500 boilerplate “form letters” submitted by Teamsters members and the few such as those above, submitted by obvious OOIDA members, there are a number of good comments from folks such as mom and pop pork producers and other agri-business owners who give logical valid reasons why the proposal should go forward, as it will. The number of comments received, 2271 as of today, isn’t a realistic number though as there are many duplicates by the same commenter. However, the strategy appears to be for TEAMSTERS and others to submit as many meaningless and irrelevant comments as possible as a delaying tactic. The FMCSA must read each and every one of them, even the form letters, and that takes time. However, it is only delaying the inevitable.

Teamsters President James P. Hoffa releases self serving and totally inaccurate statement on Cross Border Trucking with Mexico

Despite found guilty of bribery and trying to rig an upcoming union election, Teamster President James P. Hoffa still has time to lie to the public, Congress and his membership about Mexican trucking

Teamsters President James P. Hoffa, himself in hot water after caught using his position to offer union jobs, salaries, and pensions to bribe people for political support, released a “presser” giving his totally irrelevant and patently untrue rant in opposition to the upcoming cross border pilot program with Mexico.

THE PUBLIC OPPOSES ILLEGAL, UNSAFE MEXICAN TRUCK PROGRAM is the title of this crapola presser released today which Hoffa continues to lie to his membership and the American public.

Hoffa says;

DOT’s proposal to open the border “fails to adequately protect our members, their families and the traveling public from the potential danger of unsafe Mexican trucks and drivers, who do not meet or will not adhere to all U.S. safety standards.”

It’s already been established that Mexican trucks and their drivers are not unsafe and strictly adhere to our rules and regulations.

Based on a Travel advisory issued by the US State Department on April 22, advising Americans against unnecessary travel to Mexico, Hoffa uses this as to make the ridiculous assertion that the proposed Pilot Program with Mexico is illegal because in his opinion, it violates Section 6901 of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Act of 2007.

What he is referring to is a section in the above titled act that does not allow funds to be spent on a cross-border trucking program unless “simultaneous and comparable authority to operate within Mexico is made available to motor carriers domiciled in the United States.”

Hoffa is grasping at straws while at the same time blowing smoke up the asses of anyone who still listens to his mindless ramblings.

Hoffa said the Mexican government is incapable of granting comparable authority under the current travel warning issued by the U.S. State Department on April 22.

It is very clear that the safety of the U.S. drivers traveling into Mexico cannot be ensured, and therefore simultaneous and comparable authority is not made available to U.S. motor carriers under the pilot program,” Hoffa said.

That is the statutes interpretation according to Hoffa and not the letter, spirit or intent of the statute as it was written and passed.

Comparable authority means that we allow Mexican carriers to operate in this country and Mexico in turn, allows US carriers to operate in Mexico, under similar rules. There is nothing in the NAFTA rules concerning cross border trucking that says Mexico nor the US has to “ensure” the safety of one another’s drivers.

Who is going to “ensure” the safety of Mexican drivers coming into this country from violence directed at them, through ignorance, prejudice and bigotry, inflamed by the rhetoric of the TEAMSTERS, OOIDA and their mouthpieces on talk radio. Some callers have claimed they will stop the Mexican by any means possible, up to and including sabotaging their trucks or burning them to the ground.

Hoffa and his union have become increasingly irrelevant and to most, a joke.

And remember we said Hoffa was caught up in a bribery scandal? It’s true. I guess corruption runs in the family.

Teamsters for a Democratic Union report that James Hoffa tried to pay off three top Teamster officials who had broken with his administration by offering them lucrative jobs and an additional pension in exchange for their backing in the upcoming International Union election.

In a 30 page report issued by an elections supervisor, revealed thatHoffa running mate Ken Hall offered Carhaul Director Fred Zuckerman a raise and entrance into the “Family Plan”, a lucrative extra pension exclusively for full-time IBT officials. In exchange, Zuckerman would have to back Hoffa and drop his bid to be on the General Executive Board. It was further revealed that Hoffa operatives approached several other International Union trustees with similar offers to buy campaign support with members’ dues. Those Trustees were offered jobs as full-time International Representatives if they would resign from the General Executive Board but continue to back Hoffa and donate to his campaign.

Instead, the officials turned down the bribes and blew the whistle on Hoffa.

Hoffa hatched the bribery scheme to try to hold together his unraveling administration, in which 6 top union officials have jumped ship in the face of Hoffa’s corruption.

The Elections Appeals Master found that Hoffa and three of his closest thugs “tried, but failed, to buy electoral support and stifle opposition in exchange for salaried union jobs.”

Of course, Hoffa, pathological liar he has proven himself to be denied any role in the scheme. The Election Supervisor did not find Hoffa credible, and credited witnesses and evidence that contradicted the cover story put forward by Hoffa and his thugs.

And what will Hoffa’s punishment be? After six months of investigation and three months of appeals, court-appointed election overseers have ordered Hoffa to acknowledge that he attempted to buy election support by offering jobs and pensions.

Hoffa must pay for a mailing to all Teamster locals publicizing the attempt, and place a notice on the union’s website and magazine.

So far, Hoffa is giving the judge the finger! Anybody surprised?

TEAMSTERS & OOIDA comments will fail to stop proposed cross border pilot program with Mexico

Safe, well maintained trucks from Mexico such as this Kenworth T-660 driven by professional safe Mexican drivers would finally be permitted access under the proposed Pilot Program released today by the US DOT

The deadline for comments on FMCSA’s Proposed Cross Border Pilot Program ended Friday night at 23:59 with results being about as we suspected. 1,580 comments were submitted compared with 2,359 submitted in 2007. Very few of them provided salient objections as to why FMCSA should not proceed with the proposal.

According to FMCSA, the purpose for the notice and comment process is to provide all interested parties with the opportunity to review information published by the Agency and comment on the specific details about the demonstration project. The operative word is “SPECIFIC”. This time, as in 2007, the views of the respondents opposed to allowing Mexicans into this country, prevailed over those of us who support the proposal.

You read it right. I said MEXICANS, not Mexican trucks, which is what this proposal is all about. It’s never been about the safety of Mexican carriers or their ability to comply with our rules and regulations. They proved their fitness to do so long ago. It’s simply that there are some that cringe at the thought of allowing Mexicans, whom they see as inferior to themselves, do business in this country. Imagine that. Scared of a 100 or so safe well maintained trucks operated by well managed Mexican carriers.

This morning, General President James P. Hoffa is thanking his membership for filing more than 1000 comments opposing the program.

Great job, everybody, on submitting those comments on Mexican trucks! Teamsters and our allies filed at least a thousand comments telling the Department of Transportation to keep the border closed to dangerous Mexican trucks. - TEAMSTER NATION

Great job indeed. A semi-trained monkey could have followed instruction by going their web pages set up to guide the lemmings through the process. There, they had a choice of 7 pre-written letters. All they had to do was look at their union cards to figure out who they were, fill in the blanks and click SEND. And the views of James P. Hoffa were automatically published on regulations.gov under the members named. As I said, semi-trained monkeys, and no disrespect to the primates equating them to a TEAMSTER.

Hoffa supposedly made a comment on behalf of the “entire union” but it hasn’t appeared in the register yet. Hoffa’s comment, showing how brain addled and clueless he is, read in part;

The law requires Mexico to offer “comparable authority” for U.S. trucks to operate there. But Hoffa points out that Mexico is so dangerous the government isn’t capable of offering comparable authority. Therefore, the proposed program is illegal.

“Comparable authority” simply means, the US complies with it’s legal and lawful obligations under NAFTA to allow Mexican carriers operating authority in the US, and Mexico allows US carriers operating authority in Mexico. Nothing more, nothing less. The violence in Mexico has absolutely nothing to do with our obligations nor Mexico’s.

At the end of the day, the TEAMSTERS opposition has nothing to do with job losses to their membership. Their opposition to this program is wrecking segments of our economy as we recover from the recession. It has everything to do with Mexican law and labor unions not allowing the Teamsters to come in and organize as they did in Canada. Many of the same objections Hoffa makes against Mexico and Mexican trucks would be valid against the Canadians, but we don’t hear that from him.

The states who share a border with Mexico are all “Right to Work” states. Warehouses along the border are all non-union and will remain that way. Allowing Mexican carriers to operate in the US will in no way impact the TEAMSTERS nor their members.

OOIDA’s FALSE AND MISLEADING ATTEMPTS TO STOP MEXICAN TRUCKS

OOIDA, through lies and fear mongering used the Mexican truck issue to increase their membership from about 140,000 to 160,000 between 2007 and 2009 when the original demonstration program was defunded. Now, they’ve slipped back to around 150,000 members as truckers wised up and realized what a waste of time and money belonging to OOIDA was.

In desperation, OOIDA continues to lie and appeal to the prejudices and ignorance of some of it’s membership in their opposition to the Mexican truck issue.

Despite the fact that it has been proven that Mexico has much more stringent requirements for obtaining a FEDERAL COMMERCIAL LICENSE and their MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS are much more stringent than ours, OOIDA continues to insist Mexico has no drug testing requirements, no medical requirements and that a valid Mexican CDL can be obtained on any street corner in any city. And some actually believe this crap, which is what OOIDA counts on.

They tell you that allowing 100 Mexican trucks, strictly monitored will put hundreds of thousands of American truckers out of work is believed and spreads like wildfire across the internet. Beyond belief!

But OOIDA has completely destroyed their credibility with their latest caper. Imagine, hiring a free lance photographer to go to the border and take pictures of the oldest, dirtiest trucks he could find so that OOIDA could use them in their cover story in the May 2011 issue of LAND LINE. They continue to want people to believe, that OP-2 authority drayage trucks are the actual trucks used throughout Mexico and will be used to haul freight throughout the US.

ULTIMATELY, THEIR EFFORTS WILL FAIL BECAUSE OF THEIR COMMENTS
Let me share with you FMCSA’s response to the comments received in 2007 against that demonstration project and published in the FEDERAL REGISTER. You’ll see why that the proposed pilot program will go ahead and why the comments from OOIDA and TEAMSTERS members will help it become reality.

As of July 31, FMCSA received 2,359 comments, or docket submissions, in response to the May 1 and June 8
notices…….
About 2,330 of the comments were submissions by individuals that were no more than a few sentences and consisted of conclusory statements indicating that Mexico-domiciled carriers are unsafe and that the demonstration project should be abandoned. These comments, most of which were submitted
electronically, did not include information concerning technical (e.g.)specific safety oversight procedures or
processes) or legal aspects of the demonstration project or economic issues, or any other information
supporting the assertions made therein. While FMCSA is not responding to these comments individually, the
Agency is neither ignoring them, but instead believes that its responses to the substantive comments it has received more than adequately addresses the brief comments submitted by these individuals

Now, as it was then, the results will be the same! With exception to the objections to FMCSA paying for EOBR’s to be installed in the Mexican participants, which we object to also, there was absolutely nothing of a technical nature included in any of the “canned” comments submitted by TEAMSTERS.

FMCSA denies TEAMSTERS request for comment period extension on Cross Border Trucking proposal

Taking a page from his 2007 playbook, to delay and further mislead the public, James P. Hoffa on asked FMCSA head Ann Ferro to extend the comment period for FMCSA-2007-0097 another 30 days, citing 30 days to comment just isn’t enough time.

Ferro denied the request, sending Hoffa into another juvenile temper tantrum.

“Thirty days isn’t enough time for the public to voice its objections to this dangerous proposal,” Hoffa said. “Tens of thousands of Teamsters want to keep the border closed, as do most Americans and Congress. We want to make it clear that DOT should listen to the people of America, not the multinational corporations that want to exploit workers by lowering safety, labor and environmental standards.”

Hoffa tried this back in 2007 when comment were being sought for that proposal (FMCSA-2007-28055) and was successful in obtaining an additional 30 days which gave his lemmings time to load the comment sections down with comments totally irrelevant to the issue at hand. In the end, he failed, as he is failing this time.

More than 1000 rank-and-file Teamsters have already submitted comments to the Federal Register, using the TEAMSTERS “click and send” boilerplate letters objecting to the proposal. They said they’re concerned because Mexican trucks and drivers don’t meet the same safety standards as U.S. trucks, and that border security would be compromised and American trucking and warehousing jobs would be lost. In reality, it has absolutely nothing to do with those issues as they’ve long been resolved or proven to be nothing more than misinformation and lies. What it boils down to, is they’re Mexicans. And that is unacceptable,

Comments end tonight at midnight. We’ll see the first trucks rolling across the border sometime in the next few months, si dios quieres.

Meanwhile, the corrupt little representative from Oregon, Peter DeFazio, long in the pockets of Teamsters and the obscure group known as OOIDA, earned his bribes, er, private political contributions in this speech showcased at LIFE ON THE ROAD.

After spending a few minutes on Congressman DeFazio’s website, it’s clear he’s an idiot. But he’s a ranking idiot on a couple of transportation committees. Just like his Bring Gas Prices Down videos, it’s clear he does a lot of yelling but doesn’t make much sense.

We couldn’t agree more.

LOTR also concluded;

For some reason Teamsters think they still have a voice in trucking. Teamsters are so insignificant in the trucking industry, I’m surprised they get any press at all. OOIDA, who? Once the mobs on trucking radio and the CB get fired up, everyone loses their minds and stops thinking.

Like it or not, this is going to happen. Find a way to survive or just stand around and complain the choice is yours

Again, spot on!