Mexico Trucker Online Articles

Mexican Farmers march on Mexico City to protest NAFTA

Thousands of Mexican farmers, some riding tractors and herding cows, flooded the capital Thursday to demand government protection against cheap U.S. imports.Trade barriers under the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, were lifted in January, opening Mexico for the first time to tariff-free U.S. exports of traditional food like corn and beans.

Mexican farmers complain the government of President Felipe Calderón is not doing enough to protect them against highly subsidized U.S. goods.

Protesters are demanding Mexico renegotiate the treaty with the United States to maintain protections for corn and beans.

Long lines of slow-moving tractors choked highways from rural areas toward Mexico City for a march toward the main Zocalo square in the city center.

“The free trade agreement is like an open wound for the Mexican countryside,” said Victor Suarez, who heads a small farmers’ group. “You can give the patient medical attention but if you don’t stop the hemorrhage first the patient will die.”

Since NAFTA took effect in 1994, corn tariffs have gradually been phased out and imports of U.S. yellow corn to Mexico, mostly used in animal feed, have soared. They now account for close to 35 percent of Mexican consumption.

Mexican farmers fear zero trade barriers will encourage highly mechanized U.S. farms to start producing white corn, which has been Mexico’s main crop since the Aztec times and is a staple food.

Opposition legislators who support the rural sector have called for the resignation of Agriculture Minister Alberto Cardenas for failing to do enough to support farmers.

In an effort to dampen criticism, Cardenas announced on Wednesday an expansion of cash supports to meat and egg producers to buy corn for animal feed, since international prices for the grain have skyrocketed in recent months.

Cardenas said the negative effects of the trade deal for corn and wheat growers will be offset by high international prices on increasing U.S. demand for ethanol.

“High prices are helping us bring thousands of Mexican farmers out of poverty. We have support programs for all the agricultural sectors in place,” Cardenas said.

A look at various Mexican trucking laws and regs!

I’ve been thinking about translating various laws and regulations governing Mexican commercial carriers for some time, and I still may do it, but for now, I’ll point ya’ll towards the information and you can translate it yourself. Not that I expect many to let the facts get in the way of their opinions.

Licencia Federal de Conductor

Despite what some would have you believe, the Mexican CDL or Licencia Federal, is not readily available on every street corner in Mexico. That’s not to say there are not some good fakes, but none of them are listed in the LFIS database and therefore it is doubtful they would ever pass inspection during the PASA’s nor during a traffic stop in the US or Mexico.

There have been many questions and searches on this site about the cost of a Licencia Federal.

NOTA:

EL COSTO DE LA MULTA POR REFRENDO EXTEMPORANEO SERA DE:

1 REFRENDO = 6 DÍAS DE SALARIO MINIMO VIGENTE EN EL D.F.

2 REFRENDOS = 12 DÍAS DE SALARIO MINIMO VIGENTE EN EL D.F.

EL ARTICULO VIOLADO ES EL 90 DEL REGLAMENTO DE AUTOTRANSPORTE FEDERAL Y SERVICIOS AUXILIARES Y EL SANCIONADOR ES EL ARTICULO 74 FRACCION IX DE LA LEY DE CAMINOS, PUENTES Y AUTOTRANSPORTE FEDERAL.

That information can be found at SCT.GOB.MX.

To compute the cost, use a $1 to $10 pesos for currency conversion.

So as you can see, the Licencia Federal can get rather expensice and I believe it is only issued for a period of 2 years.

Mexican Hazardous Material Regulations

There has been much information thrown around about Mexican carriers and how they are unregulated in everything they do, including Haz Mat Rules.

Mexico has regulations in place and enforced that closely mirror those in the US. The only difference I could find is that the Secretariat de Communicaciones y Transportes, has been able to condense what takes a book the size of a dime store novel, and publish it in an 18 page document, and say the same thing as our DOT.

Sounds interesting doesn’t it? Especially from an alleged “third world” country. DOWNLOAD IT and check it out. The transation is your job. Time doesn’t permit me to do it for you at the moment.

Permits, Taxes, Operating Authority

I get sick of hearing that Mexico has no databases, when the fools parroting this refrain no damned well it is not the truth.

Want to check a Mexican carriers Fuel Permit? Check out Permits issued to carriers broken down State to State

Want statistics? Mexico has them! In a DATABASE that gives you any information you could desire and more.

All it takes people is a little research on your own and you’ll see the bill of goods protectionists and nativists who are opposed to anything from Mexico have sold you.