Mexico Will Press Obama to Offer New Trucking Plan

Mexico Will Press Obama to Offer New Trucking Plan

Posted on Apr 13, 2009 in Headlines by PMC 1 Comment

Well people, everything was rational and moving along nicely, even with the lies of James Hoffa and Todd Spencer clouding the issue, but they had to pay back the unions and stop the cross border program.

As we know, tariff’s was immediately instituted, American trucks ejected from the country of Mexico and a minor trade skirmish began.

This time though, Mexico is not going to sit back and be America’s lackey, taking whatever crumb the politicians throw to them in appeasement.

Today it was learned that Mexican President Felipe Calderon will urge President Barack Obama at a meeting this week to resolve a trade dispute by pushing Congress to allow Mexican trucks to deliver goods inside the U.S.

We’re not talking another silly ass little pilot project where at the direction of the Teamsters and others who have a history of demanding their political cronies throw roadblock in the way of our obligations.

We’re talking full access! Mexico’s government will ask Obama to allow all of the country’s 18-wheelers to operate across the border, Deputy Transportation Minister Humberto Trevino said in an interview.

“We don’t simply want to re-establish the pilot project we had, but to have a project with a lot more reach,” Trevino said. “We’re very optimistic that this will move forward.”

Mexico’s government sees an opportunity for opening access for its trucks because the Obama administration has shown a willingness to work on the issue, Trevino said. The government is also encouraged by a letter written last week by 140 U.S. business, food and agricultural organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urging Obama to resolve the dispute, he said.

“As they say colloquially, we feel a good vibe with respect to the issue,” Trevino said. Calderon and Obama are scheduled to meet in Mexico City on April 16 and 17.

“We’re looking for a complete opening in freight transportation,” Beatriz Leycegui, the Mexican economy ministry’s undersecretary for foreign commerce, said in an interview. “That’s what is in the treaty.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said March 24 he would work to resolve the trucking dispute. Trade between the two countries totaled $368 billion in 2008, making Mexico the third-largest U.S. trading partner after Canada and China, according to Commerce Department data.

Perhaps people should have left well enough alone.

Tags: Mexican trucks, NAFTA, Obama