Mexico Trucker Online Articles

OOIDA stooge Peter DeFazio wants to renegotiate NAFTA, but only for Mexican trucks

On the first anniversary of the shutdown of the Cross Border Trucking program with Mexico, the job losses are mounting for American workers as American business’s continue to lose market share from the LEGAL tariff’s Mexico instituted in retaliation for our failure to comply with our obligations under NAFTA. 57 members of Congress in addition to more than 1400 trade groups have called on President Obama, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk to get the issue settled. Secretary LaHood stated in a recent interview that they were close to a resolution to the issue. The tariff’s, the job losses and loss of market share are the fault of people like Teamsters President James Hoffa, OOIDA mouthpiece Todd Spencer and their stooges in Congress such as Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, and James Oberstar of Minnesota, who has strangely, stayed silent during this latest round of debate. Realizing the very real possibility of the border being open to cross country movers, including Mexican trucks, who have proven to be safe and compliant with US laws and regulations, Peter DeFazio is preparing a letter for fellow congressmen demanding a renegotiation of Article 1202 of NAFTA, National Treatment of Cross-Border Trade in Services. The purpose is to forbid Mexican trucks from access to the US and theoretically, remove the legal tariff’s which aare causing so much concern. The letter, which was sent to OOIDA for their approval, states in part; Read more

OOIDA resumes false claims about Mexican trucks in latest press release.

This is one of the trucks OOIDA and other opponents claim is unsafe and continue to try to keep off US highways through campaigns of misinformation and preying on the prejudice and fears of it's members and the public. Most that would see this rig on US highways, or the one parked on the shoulder, would not know it was a Mexican carrier.

It only took the mention of resuming talks on allowing Mexican trucks into the United States, as we’re obligated to do under the NAFTA treaty for OOIDA to begin another campaign of misinformation and preying upon the fears and prejudices of their members and the general public.

Today, they issued a press release inappropriately titled, “The U.S. must challenge Mexico’s tariff bullying
_{Highway safety and security must trump free trade ideology}“

I say inappropriate because of the title and the message being sent. We should be challenges those who put protectionism and their own self interests ahead of the US complying with their obligations and keeping their word.
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OIG Report – Political aims keep a deal idling slowly

The federal government has prompted yet another delay in the implementation of a NAFTA provision that allows Mexican truckers to bring cargo from that country to U.S. markets.

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, that provision should have gone into effect on Jan. 1, 1995 — more than 14½ years ago.

The U.S. Transportation Department’s inspector general on Wednesday issued a report stating that the department still needs more information to determine if Mexican trucks are safe enough to enter this country.

The report, prepared by department auditors, says that some states don’t adequately report the nationality of people convicted of traffic violations, and that some buses aren’t inspected sufficiently when they cross the border.

This despite a 2007 pilot program that allowed a limited number of Mexican trucks free access throughout the country. Most people didn’t even notice the program was in operation, suggesting there was no sudden rash of accidents due to their presence on U.S. roads.
Read more

Truckers News – Calderon to press Obama for resolution to Mexico truck dispute

WASHINGTON — Mexican President Felipe Calderon will press President Barack Obama Sunday for a quick resolution to a cross-border trucking dispute that prompted Mexico to retaliate on $2.4 billion of U.S. goods, a news agency reported today.

“President Calderon will press forward our position and it will be great if we can get this solved at the latest by the end of this year,” a Mexican official told Reuters on Wednesday, speaking on condition that he not be identified.

Calderon will host Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a meeting in Guadalajara of the leaders of the North American Free Trade Agreement beginning Sunday.

The U.S. agreed in NAFTA to allow Mexican commercial trucks to transport goods within four U.S. border states in 1995 and throughout the country in 2000, but delayed implementation on safety grounds.

A Cross Border Demonstration Project was initiated in 2007, but the pilot program was killed by a vote of Congress earlier this year, prompting Calderon’s administration to retaliate with $2.4 billion U.S. manufacturing and agricultural goods tariff.

“When Congress decided to defund the program, we were told at the time they would come forward with something concrete relatively soon,” the Mexican official said.

Almost immediately after Obama signed the bill ending the demonstration project, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood held a round of meetings with Congressional leaders and trucking industry stakeholders after the White House told LaHood to work with Congress, the Transportation and State departments and Mexican officials to come up with legislation to create a new trucking project that will meet concerns over North American Free Trade Agreement commitments.

Meanwhile, Rep. Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican who wrote Obama in March to urge quick action on the issue, is quoted onwww.Mexicotrucker.com as saying he found it unimaginable that Obama would go to Mexico without some positive news for Calderon.< The president going to Mexico and not trying to resolve the trucking dispute would be like going to the G20 and ignoring the financial crisis,” Brady said, according to the Web site. “This is a very real dispute. The clock is ticking and there’s a lot of American farmers and manufacturers that are paying a pretty steep price.

SOURCE: The Trucker News Service & Reuter

Wise words from TheTrucker.com

Ya’ll might as well heed the words of our friends at The Trucker.com and quit your whining and accept the inevitable. It is time to concentrate on far more important issues in our industry

The other hot topic in trucking today is the Mexico truck demonstration project. We’re probably received more calls on this issue that any other this year.

First conceived in the 1990s as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the movement of Mexican trucks into the U.S. and vice versa is mandated by law.

Don’t go jumping on the Department of Transportation and FMCSA for this one. They are only implementing what the Congressmen you elected then passed and then-President Clinton signed into law.

The only way the program can be stopped is new legislation. Congress can pass all types of bills to deny funding for the program, but we suspect that if the issue ever reaches the Supreme Court, trucks will roll across the border on a permanent basis.

Enough said!