Street stands selling pirated DVDs and other contraband are easy to find all across Mexico, but certainly not a reason to oppose Mexican trucks, unless you're a TEAMSTER
James Hoffa’s mantra of “unsafe Mexican trucks” has been debunked and ridiculed. Mexico’s regulatory environment has been shown to be sufficient to ensure the safe compliant operations of their trucks in their country and the 2007 Cross Border Demonstration Project proved Mexican trucks were quite capable of complying to the regulatory standards and laws of the United States, so what now?
TEAMSTERSNATION has perhaps found the ULTIMATE REASON to keep those naughty Mexican trucks out of our country and allow Mexico to continue with their legal job killing tariff’s.
It has nothing to do with drugs, violence or illegals. Hang onto the edge of your seats kiddies and be skeered, real skeered, as Teamsters President James P. Hoffa wants you to be.
Ready for this?
Drum roll please!
DVD PIRACY!!!!
Okay. Once you pick yourself up off the floor from laughing so hard you fell on your ass from your chair, read on!
The Teamsters have latched on to a story in the Washington Post
The Post stories mentions;
Disk piracy and U.S. copyright violations are a challenge around the world, but in Mexico the sale of bootleg copies of “Toy Story 3” and Microsoft Windows XP are funding the powerful mafias whose relentless violence has left more than 35,000 Mexicans dead in the past four years.
Not exactly true of course, but who cares about the truth when it comes to bashing Mexico. The bootleg DVD’s sell for about $20.00 pesos on the street and are a favorite of truckers visiting the border cities for their nightly sojourns of pleasure.
But really. It’s a stretch of the imagination to use this as an excuse to continue to oppose Mexican trucks on US highways. But for the TEAMSTERS and their allies, credibility went out the window years ago.
About as ridiculous as octogenarian nutjob and Hoffa ally Phyllis Schlafly wrote in a recent TOWN HALL column where one of her reasons for opposing Mexican trucks was;
7. When Mexican truck drivers have their layovers and turn-arounds in the U.S., what’s to prevent them from enjoying a frolic and diversion? They could use that time to father a baby who would then be proclaimed a U.S. citizen and get generous financial benefits and handouts provided by U.S. taxpayers.
It’s interesting this wackadoodle also included this in her comments to the FMCSA.
DVD piracy and copyright infringement is nothing new, in Mexico nor in any other country on this planet and an absurd excuse to keep Mexico’s trucks from our highways.
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.
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.
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!
Safe, fully inspected Mexican trucks such as this one would be allowed access to US under the proposed Pilot Program with Mexico
It never ends. Citing bogus concerns over safety, security and cost, a bipartisan gang Congressmen, bought and paid for with Teamster funds is demanding that the federal Department of Transportation cancel plans to re-introduce a cross-border trucking program with Mexico.
Taking the lead with a letter on 4/4/2011, Rep. Duncan Hunter (D-CA) along with Rep. Daniel Lipinski, (D-Ill), Rep. Rep. Bob Filner, (D-Ca) and 19 other Democrats along with 12 Tea Party Republicans, has a letter that is to be delivered to La Hood and made public on Wednesday afternoon, DEMANDING LaHood dump the plans for a renewed cross border program with Mexico.
The cross border program would bring the US in compliance with our obligations under the NAFTA agreement and permit Mexico to lift the $2.4 billion in legal retaliatory tariffs instituted after 17 years of the United States refusing to comply with their promises.
Before 198, trucks from Mexico and Canada were permitted into the U.S. with proper licensing, although they did not extend the same courtesy to U.S. truckers. In the wake of a moratorium, Canada quickly resolved its differences. Mexico did not. However, more than 800 Mexican carriers were “grandfathered” in under the 1982 executive order prohibiting foreign carriers in the US.
In a draft copy of the letter sent to Mexico Trucker Online, the usual bogus concerns about safety on U.S. roads, the ability to properly inspect all trucks at the border and the prospect of drug cartels using the cross-border program as a shipping outlet for drugs are raised. The government’s funding of electronic tracking systems for Mexican trucks, which we oppose but which has been modified is also mentioned.
Some of the highlights of the letter include:
The cross-border trucking program clearly puts foreign interests above our own. It’s bad for the American economy. It’s bad for American truckers and the entire commercial trucking industry.” – Duncan Hunter
In our opinion, what is bad for the economy and bad for the image of the United States, is our continued non compliance with our international obligations which have cost the US more than 30,000 jobs and 15% or more of market share in our agri business sector, lost to Canada, that will take decades to recover, if ever.
The letter goes on to say;
“While we understand the need to work to remove the unfair tariffs that Mexico has imposed on U.S. agriculture products as a result, to so should not come at the expense of the safety of our highways”
And again, nothing unfair about the perfectly legal tariff’s Mexico finally instituted and will certainly raise, if we fail to act upon our obligations this time. Historically, Mexican trucks and their drivers have proven to be safer and more compliant with US safety laws and regulations than have our own people.
Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill, chimes in, proving he knows nothing of what he has been paid to oppose by stating;
“Past inspection failures and gaps in security at the border show that opening our roads to Mexican truck traffic could result in the entry of unsafe vehicles and drivers that pose a threat to the safety of the public.”
It is glaringly apparent none of them have seen the results of the past demonstration program, the FMCSA/CVSA inspection reports of the OP-2 carriers operating in the border zone nor realize just exactly how each and every vehicle legally entering this country is subjected to an inspection of varying degrees. And with a limited number that would operate under the proposed pilot program, EVERY SINGLE ONE would and could be thoroughly inspected as set out in the proposed new pilot program.
Lipinski goes on to opine;
“The fact that the agreement would also require taxpayers to subsidize required equipment for Mexican truckers that American truck operators would have to pay for themselves is yet another reason that it should be rejected”
Which is something we happen to agree with. We reject the notion of requiring EOBR’s in any truck, without regard to nationality or domicile. However, Lipinski and the rest fail to realize that Mexican OP-2 carriers and others, pay their proportionate share of highway taxes through fuel purchases and IFTA payments. However, DOT has revised the proposal to allow GPS systems to be used for tracking purposes to ensure compliance with US cabotage and hours of service regulations. 85% of Mexican carriers are equipped with Qualcomm communications suites which would comply with this requirement.
Interestingly enough, this requirement and all the others in the proposed pilot program documents, were demanded by those now opposing implementation of the program. Go figure. It ain’t about safety people!
And finally, they get to the latest excuse, which is baseless, about the big boogie men of the cartels using the trucks to smuggle drugs.
The letter claims;
“Setting up a program that allows Mexican long haul trucks to cross the border and move freely through the U.S. could increase this method of smuggling by the drug cartels and serve as a resource for their criminal activity”
Adds Lipinski,
“Inviting trucks from Mexico to freely transport goods throughout the U.S. provides drug traffickers with another potential avenue to exploit at a time when crime and violence in Mexico are on the rise.”
They ignore or in their ignorance, don’t realize that dues to the post 9/11 security at the border, commercial trucks and others sometimes wait for hours in line to make their way across the border. Waiting in that line, permits CBP and Customs inspectors to “walk the dogs”, observe drivers reactions or act on gut instinct to single out trucks for a secondary inspection or more.
Sure, drugs are crossed on occasion in semi’s, and generally are caught. Those that aren’t have usually been loaded on the US side, with drivers taking advantage of the idea of making a quick buck.
Mexican trucks or not. Pilot program or not. Drugs will continue to flow into this country as long as the demand is there.
We’ll have the text of this letter, bought and paid for by the TEAMSTERS and other opponents when it is released officially tomorrow, probably in a circle jerk of glad handing on Capitol Hill.
Anybody been following the comments, or lack of comments over at FMCSA concerning the proposed cross border pilot program with Mexico, that would finally allow the United States to come into compliance with our obligations under NAFTA?
For two weeks, comments languished at 50, including supporting documents posted on the site. Today, that jumped to 118. Not surprising in and of itself, except for one thing.
THEY ALL SAY THE EXACT SAME THING
That’s right kiddies. The Einsteins from OOIDA and TEAMSTERS are too damned lazy to post an original thought or comment so they are using the boilerplate provided them by their masters.
Here’s the boilerplate and right off you can see the commenter’s and those directing them have not read one word of the proposal.
I am writing you to express my outrage with the Department of Transportation’s plan to go forward with its plan to open our border to unsafe Mexican trucks. Mexico simply doesn’t have the ability to guarantee that the people behind the wheel of their trucks will be safe drivers. Mexico’s standards for issuing its Commercial Drivers License are suspect. The databases of Mexican drivers’ traffic violations are inaccurate and incomplete. And let’s not forget that Mexico doesn’t have a single lab that can be certified for drug and alcohol testing. To compound the danger, law enforcement agencies in Mexico do not police hours of service for commercial drivers in Mexico. We have all heard about the massive drug war that has claimed the lives of thousands in Mexico including American law enforcement officers and civilians. Mexico’s law enforcement agencies are stretched thin as it tries to combat the drug cartels do they really have the time or incentive to enforce hours of service laws? Why are we even considering this? Until Mexico matches our safety standards for commercial drivers and we can ensure their violence and drug problems don’t follow their trucks over the border, we cannot open our country to Mexican trucks.
The comments show the laziness and the ignorance of the commenter’s as they are stuck on the same mundane and irrelevant theme. The violence in Mexico. That has not a damned thing to do with the proposal as presented and these cut and paste comments, in the end, will be taken as one, and ignored, as they were after the comment period in 2007. FMCSA made mention of that fact in their final posting in the Federal Register before commencement of the 2007 Demonstration Program. At that time, the commenter’s were all following directions of their masters and whining about drugs and illegal being transported into the US on the program trucks, something that never happened.
Keep it up TEAMSTERS and OOIDA members! You’re doing an excellent job.
Speaking of TEAMSTERS, anyone see this from one of their websites?
We understand at least a thousand Teamsters have commented, but there are 1.4 million of us!
That’s good for a chuckle! 118 comments and 1000 of them come from TEAMSTERS?
DeFazio to challenge Cross Border Trucking
We’ve heard rumblings of union puppet Peter DeFazio plans to try and defund the current Cross Border Pilot Program proposed by FMCSA as he did in 2009 and today, it was more or less confirmed by Evan Lockridge on his top of the hour news broadcast on XM-171. Lockridge confirms DeFazio has maybe two dozen (that 24 for you mathematically challenged readers) supporting his effort out of 435 in the House of Representatives. More of DeFazio’s pandering and posturing for his union master’s and grandstanding for his constituents, who wouldn’t know are Mexican truck if they saw one, much less care. We’ll see where it goes, but from our sources, we find most Senators and Congressmen are tired of the loss of jobs caused by the legal tariff’s Mexico imposed and will support the pilot program. Time will tell.
Teamsters President James P. Hoffa, responsible for the loss of more than 25,000 American jobs.
As expected, James P. Hoffa came out with the expected denouncement of FMCSA’s announced Cross Border Pilot Program with Mexico late this after noon, and Hoffa didn’t disappoint using his tired worn out mantra of “unsafe” Mexican trucks to lead off his rant.
And, as expected, he is using the targeted violence in Mexico as an excuse saying that his union members will vigorously oppose a dangerous plan to open the border to Mexico, a country ravaged by a drug war. “Vigorously oppose” we suppose means lining the pockets of the politicians he has in his pocket, er, corner, such as California Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr.
The entire silly, sophomoric rant is here if you care to look at it. Here’s some highlights though.
“Do Transportation Department officials read the news?” Hoffa said. “In the past week, eight people were killed in Ciudad Juarez within a half hour. A mass grave was discovered 80 miles from Brownsville, Texas, with 59 bodies in it. A federal prosecutor was kidnapped and murdered in Durango after she’d been on the job for a week. Five men were killed in Taxco during another kidnapping attempt.
“What is it about Mexico’s drug violence that DOT doesn’t understand?” Hoffa said.
So what does that have to do with qualified and professional drivers from vetted and reputable Mexican carriers being allowed into this country? What is it you don’t understand Mr. Hoffa?
Hoffa continues saying he also questions whether DOT officials know that the official U.S. unemployment rate is 8.8 percent. “This proposal threatens the jobs of thousands of American truck drivers and warehouse workers along the border.”
Actually, it threatens not one American job much less a union job. Border states are right to work states and the cross docking and forwarding facilities are non union shops, something we’re sure Hoffa would like to change and probably would have tried had his “Card Check” legislation gone through that would have taken the concept of the secret ballot away from the public.
And we would ask Mr. Hoffa what about the 25,000 and more jobs, the 15% market share lost to other countries in the agribusiness sector, as a result of the legal tariff’s imposed by Mexico in response to your continued corrupt opposition to the cross border program? What about that Hoffa?
Such a sad and pathetic, contemptible little man.
Speaking of which,
OOIDA ANNOUNCES ANOTHER “NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION”
OOIDA, realizing the end is near for their opposition to permitting the US to comply with their international obligations, is ramping up the rhetoric, this time with a call to action to pimp Rep. Duncan Hunters letter to colleagues calling for them to stop the Mexican truck program. It’s silly, stupid and an insipid attempt to rely upon the ignorance of their membership to continue to push their campaign of misinformation and lies.
Think it’s bad now folks? Wait until Wednesday when comments open.
Friday, the FMCSA RELEASED CROSS-BORDER TRUCKING PILOT DETAILS and the reaction was basically “so what’s new?” except amongst the usual suspects who object to anything concerning Mexico.
OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer released his usual whining rant making baseless allegations they’ve never been able to document nor prove
ATA President Bill Graves issued a statement in support of the proposal.
James P. Hoffa, President of the Teamsters Union who is usual first out of the box with his sophomoric rants about “unsafe” Mexican trucks and “unqualified” Mexican drivers, was suspiciously absent, however, the website, TEAMSTERS NATION chimed in with their instructions, showing they haven’t got a clue and are pushing fear mongering to achieve their agenda.
Their instructions to whoever reads their blog:
Write down this number: FMCSA-2011-0097
It’s the docket number for the Transportation Department’s official proposal to open the border to trucks coming from the war zone known as Mexico.
The proposal will be published in the Federal Register on Monday, if the government doesn’t shut down. You have 30 days to tell them why this is the stupidest fucking idea EVER. We’ll let you know on Monday (if the government isn’t shut down) how to send in your comments. But you’ll have to include the docket number.
Here’s one suggestion, just to get you going: Hundreds of border officials are being investigated for corruption. According to NBC News………………………
Start drafting those comments now! The government has to respond to every single one, so let’s keep ‘em busy until the next millennium!
How silly and comical is that suggestion? But it gets better.
This morning, they published instruction on How to stop Mexican trucks
Here’s what they are telling their members:
Tomorrow, you must get out your ink pen and write to the government to say, “DO NOT open the border to Mexican trucks.”
Do it tomorrow. Do it the next day, and the next. Do it every day for 30 days.
Here’s why: The federal government must post an official notice in the Federal Register in order to open the border to Mexican trucks. The public has 30 days to submit comments. The government must read every single comment and respond to it before the border can be opened.
Let’s send them so many letters they’ll be retired by the time they can respond. The letters don’t have to be long. They just have to give a reason for keeping the border closed. Click here if you need a reason.
They go on to give a sample letter for their members to write that has absolutely nothing to do with Mexican trucks or truckers. This is the sample they provide:
FMCSA-2011-0097
April 11, 2011
Dear Sir:
An an American citizen, I am horrified by FMCSA’s plan to open the border to Mexican trucks. Giving violent drug cartels more access to American highways is harmful to American interests. Mexico is in a state of war. Nearly 35,000 people have been murdered in drug violence in that country since 2007. Ciudad Juarez, which is right across the border from El Paso, is the most dangerous city in the world.
Sincerely,
Name
Address
So please people. If you oppose having the United States comply with our legal obligations to allow Mexican trucking companies access to the United States, then by all means, follow the instructions of TEAMSTERS NATION to the letter. Put down you crayons, pick up a big boy/girl pen and send your letter as instructed. (Don’t forget to stay inside the lines kiddies)
AND WHEN YOU’RE FINISHED, YOU’VE WASTED YOUR TIME!
Think I’m joking? Lets backtrack to 2007 when comments were opened concerning the past Cross Border Program which was defunded by union cronies in Congress.
TEAMSTERS NATION is correct that FMCSA must read every comment submitted and take them into consideration at the end of the comment period. They DO NOT have to respond to the comments individually, only in a general manner in the Federal Register.
In 2007, comments coming into FMCSA concerning 2007-28055 where ridiculous, sophomoric and moronic. Out of almost 2500, only a handful contained valid reasons for or against commencement of the Cross Border Program.
As FMCSA wrote in the Federal Register after the comment period had ended, “All comments were accepted and studied an duly noted that few offered any valid reason to suspend the program” [paraphrased]
You can read some of the examples I used here, or you can Google 2007-28055 and read all of them at the source.
BITS AND PIECES
Our favorite OOIDA/TEAMSTER is back in action at Congress.org, this time with an even more moronic letter directed at President Obama. Here’s some highlights complete with misspellings.
Since that time, we have been subjected to a clash of cultures that is anything but positive as I have tried to point out in previous letters titled The Downside of Cheap Labor. In those reports, I spoke of the tendency of illegal migrants to partake of higher than normal bouts of drunken driving, drag racing drunk, murders and sexual crimes; the latter committed against women as well as children as young as eight months. And now in addition to this, we the people of this nation, thanks to you sir, will be exposed to drunken Mexicans driving substandard trucking rigs on our highways because you have an axe to grind with the people of this nation………………
As for Mexican truck drivers, Pres. George W. Bush had the sense to initiate a trial period during which Mexican trucks were allowed in our country, but restricted to an area no more than twenty-five miles north of our southern border. It was during this trial period that it was determined that Mexican trucks and their drivers are unfit for our highways………………….
We have to believe this because U.S. citizens cannot enter Mexico by just walking across our common border. No sir. Getting caught in Mexico without a Visa is a felon. Illegal migrants are not welcome in Mexico………..
But what trucker in his right mind would want to enter Mexico to subject themselves to murderers, beheadings, thieves and Montezuma’s revenge? ……………………..
e. Sir, even if you were sincere, and sincerety is not one of you hallmarks, we don’t have the manpower to thoroughly check each and every Mexican truck and its driver entering this nation bringing drugs, illegal migrants and a clash of cultures into our country………………………..
Mexican truckers will not be required to carry liability insurance, keep their trucks in top running order or pay high road taxes to pay for their wear and tear on our highways, as must our truckers……………………….
Somebody is going to die at the hands of Mexican truckers because they do not know the rules of the road, drive drunk the wrong way on one way streets and highways. A tiny little girl was recently killed by one of those drunken Mexican truckers. Keep Mexican truckers off our streets and highways. They are already congested with the three million new migrants–legal and illegal–that enter our nation each year. Just keep taking trips in Air Force to invite everyone on this continent to “y’all come. Amnesty and jobs await you . . . yadah yadah yadah.” The insanity must stop!!!!!! Please do us a favor and wihdraw your name from the 2012 election? We need a break………………………………………
Yeah, Todd and Jimbo are probably really proud of this clueless moron in Fredericktown Ohio.
TRUCKING TALKERS AND OTHER LOONY TOONS
Admittedly, I fell asleep from boredom Friday and Saturday night listening to ATN and Bubba Bo who seemed to have problems keeping his phone lines full so we can only imagine what was said. The usual without a doubt.
Steve Sommers, on ATN last taking his first opportunity to break the news since it’s release, was his typical sardonic, sarcastic self, maintaining the OOIDA party line concerning Mexican trucks, referring to the proposal as “comical” and his Buddy Hackett soundalike, Warren, aka “Sugar Bear” coming on throughly pisses and ready to stick pencils in his ass to dull the pain. And has anyone heard Sommers latest spiel for OOIDA where he incredulously revealed that “FMCAS is going to open our borders to Mexican Trucks!! Really!!! You can’t make this stuff up!” Had me laughing my ass off and bouncing lane to lane.
Dave Nemo, this morning to his credit, finally admitted the the excuses about safety, security and all the rest were a sham. His main focus is on supposed job losses. I have a lot of respect for Dave, who along with Evan Lockridge are about the only two talkers on trucking radio worth listening to. But Nemo really needs to look at the numbers to realize his fears are groundless.
The proposal is scheduled to be published int he Federal Register Wednesday, April 13, 2011 with comment accepted through May 13, 2011 unless the opposition whines their way into an extension as they did back in 2007. Comments can be made at REGULATIONS.GOV and you will need the Docket Number which is FMCSA-2011-0097.
We’ll be monitoring the comments as we did in 2007 and share some of the more whacked out ones with you.
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