Mexico Trucker Online

Mexico’s 2012 Highways Budget Likely To Stay Near Record Level

Sep 252011

25/09/2011 Posted by PMC at 09:30 on 25/09/2011 Comments Off

Mexico's 2012 Highways Budget Likely To Stay Near Record Level

By Laurence Iliff Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES MEXICO CITY (Dow Jones)–Mexico’s 2012 budget for building and repairing highways is likely to stay near historically high levels after making its way through Congress, and the planned projects shouldn’t suffer from a weaker peso since materials and manpower are sourced locally, an official with the Communications and Transport Ministry said Thursday. The ministry’s deputy minister for infrastructure, Fausto Barajas Cumming, said at a media briefing that the current year’s highways budget is nearing 57 billion pesos ($4.08 billion) after it had been originally proposed at MXN39 billion during the federal budget process ….Read More

Rep. Peter DeFazio follows OOIDA’s lead with letter “DEMANDING” answers

Sep 222011

22/09/2011 Posted by PMC at 00:10 on 22/09/2011 Comments Off

Rep. Peter DeFazio follows OOIDA's lead with letter "DEMANDING" answers

Rep. Peter DeFazio, following OOIDA President Jim Johnston’s example sent a letter to FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro demanding she address his bogus concerns about the safety of Mexican trucks on U.S. roads. But this isn’t about this vile little man’s irrelevant letter to Ms Ferro. It’s to be expected. Despite the fact DeFazio was elected to represent the people of the 4th Congressional District in Oregon, he continues to be in the pocket of the unions, specifically representing the whims and demands of embattled Teamsters President James P. Hoffa. DeFazio’s claims of being concerned about the “safety, security and jobs ….Read More

OOIDA sends another letter blasting Secretary Ray LaHood on Mexican Pilot Program

Sep 152011

15/09/2011 Posted by PMC at 19:23 on 15/09/2011 1 Response »

OOIDA sends another letter blasting Secretary Ray LaHood on Mexican Pilot Program

This is so ridiculous it borders on the absurd. Yesterday, OOIDA President Jim Johnston sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood venting his frustrations at his associations failure to hoodwink Congress and the public into putting a stop to the cross border trucking program with Mexico. Here’s some excerpts of the letter to LaHood: Aren’t you getting the cart before the horse? How can the FMCSA utilize taxpayer resources to review and process those applications or initiate the so-called pilot program in any way before complying with the terms and conditions stipulated in Section 350 of Public Law 107–87 ….Read More

FMCSA quick to comply with suggestions of the USDOT/OIG regarding the Long Haul Pilot Program

Sep 132011

13/09/2011 Posted by PMC at 12:25 on 13/09/2011 Comments Off

FMCSA quick to comply with suggestions of the USDOT/OIG regarding the Long Haul Pilot Program

Hey, we knew they could do it and that OOIDA was once again blowing smoke up the peoples asses when less than a week ago they were saying that FMCSA had “high hurdles” to cross before the Long Haul Program with Mexico was ready for prime time. Yesterday, FMCSA released their answer to the concerns raised by the Office of the Inspector General in it’s recent report You can download and read their solutions here. To refresh you memory the OIG said that FMCSA was “generally” in compliance with the requirements under 350(c) with the following exceptions. FMCSA has not ….Read More

OOIDA loses first round in lawsuit against Mexican cross border program

Sep 132011

13/09/2011 Posted by PMC at 09:49 on 13/09/2011 Comments Off

OOIDA loses first round in lawsuit against Mexican cross border program

Yesterday, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied the injunction sought by the Owner Operators Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) in their attempt to stop the Mexican cross border pilot program. According to TODAYS TRUCKING, the Court did agree to fast track the frivolous lawsuit meaning written arguments could be accepted as early as December. Oral arguments will be scheduled after the initial round of filings. It is also being reported that the petition for review, filed by the Teamsters and Public Citizen in the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, will instead be heard by the D.C. Court ….Read More

Canadian Trucker admits smuggling drugs into Canada

Sep 102011

10/09/2011 Posted by PMC at 17:33 on 10/09/2011 Comments Off

Canadian Trucker admits smuggling drugs into Canada

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Canadian truck driver who pleaded guilty Wednesday to smuggling cocaine in the floorboards of his truck was part of an operation that sent more than 1½ tons of drugs across the U.S. border into Canada since 2009, federal authorities said. Ravinder Arora, 30, of Brampton, Ontario, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to conspiring to export cocaine. He faces at least 10 years in prison at his December sentencing. Arora was about to cross the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge from western New York into Ontario last September when his nervous demeanor led U.S. border agents to search his ….Read More

First two applicants for the Mexican Cross Border Program have passed their PASA’s

Sep 092011

09/09/2011 Posted by PMC at 10:00 on 09/09/2011 Comments Off

FMCSA spokesperson Candice Tolliver Burns announced late yesterday that two of the 7 applicants for the Cross Border Trucking Pilot Program with Mexico have successfully passed their Pre-Authorization Safety Audits (PASA) and are ready to roll. Both carriers were participants in the 2007 cross border demonstration program and under the rules of the new program, should be eligible shortly for permanent operating authority. The carriers, Transportes Olympic based in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, a suburb of Monterrey and Grupo Behr, headquartered in Tijuana, BC. Transported Olympic, owned by Fernando Paez, was the first carrier to cross under the previous program September ….Read More

USDOT/OIG – FMCSA Generally Complies With Statutory Requirements, but Actions Are Needed Prior To Initiating Its NAFTA Cross-Border Trucking Pilot Program

Sep 062011

06/09/2011 Posted by PMC at 13:03 on 06/09/2011 Comments Off

On August 19, 2011, the Office of the Inspector General for the United States Department of Transportation, a non-partisan independent office tasked with oversight of the various agencies, released it’s long awaited audit on the Mexican cross border program, preparing to get underway. This audit was required by Section 6901 of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veteran’s Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Act, 2007. The objective of the USDOT-OIG was to assess FMCSA’s policy, procedures, and processes for granting operating authority to Mexico–domiciled motor carriers under the pilot program and for monitoring and ensuring the carriers’ compliance with United States ….Read More

Teamsters file frivolous lawsuit seeking to stop Mexican Truck Program

Sep 022011

02/09/2011 Posted by PMC at 22:34 on 02/09/2011 Comments Off

Teamsters file frivolous lawsuit seeking to stop Mexican Truck Program

At the 11th hour today, Teamsters, along with Public Citizen filed a lawsuit in 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco seeking to stop implementation of the Mexican Cross Border Program. The suit was filed against the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration alleging that the pilot program sets standards that aren’t stringent enough for Mexican trucks and drivers. For example, the program waives a law requiring trucks to display proof of meeting federal safety standards, said Jonathan Weissglass, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. An official for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said the Teamsters ….Read More