King George and Mexican trucks
There is a lot of discontent in some quarters about the Cross Border Truck Safety Inspection Program. Though Congress appeared to end funding for the program in an omnibus budget bill, the Administration said the legislative language wasn't clear and has not cut off funding for the program. It seems Mexican trucking interests are feeling pretty good about the pilot program, according to a Jan. 22 USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report.
From the USDA translation of a Mexican press account:
Mexican transportation companies have taken advantage of the pilot stage of the Cross Border Truck Safety Inspection Program. According to the Mexican Ministry of transportation, 83 companies have signed up for the Program, out of which 72 have been inspected and approved, and 13 are already operating in the United States with 58 trucks. Meanwhile, 22 U.S. trucking companies have registered, seven have been inspected and approved, and five are operating in Mexico with 45 units. Almost 2,000 “crossings” have been registered during the four month period since the pilot program started. Authorities will meet next September to evaluate the one year test program and determine whether the program will be cancelled or continued. The GOM is optimistic on continuing the program.
Labels: FDA
posted by Tom Karst @ 12:47 PM
3 Comments:
Do you expect the proposed new Secy of Ag to be any different? Do you see Harkin do nothing more than rubber stamping candidates without asking them basic questions regarding lessons learned in civics classes?
I think that it is important to acknowledge that the current administration, by continuing with this program, is blatantly breaking the law. While that much might be obvious (or I'd hope it would be), there is a tremendous safety issue at stake.
The Mexican trucks and their drivers are not held to the same standards as American drivers or vehicles; this is just a matter of fact.
I find it paramount to point these issues out when I land upon a blog writing about the pilot program. It appears to be the most over-looked element in all the stories.
The Transportation Department promised that it will inspect every truck every time it crosses the border. The inspector general, however, said that was impossible; they simply don't have the ability to make that happen ... So, is Mary Peters basically ignoring her own IG? It appears to be the case.
I read somewhere recently that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration claims Mexican carriers are safer than US trucks. But this is the same agency that has abandoned its own system for tracking highway safety because they found month-over-month and year-after-year that their numbers were simply unreliable; um, what gives?
Thanks for posting your blog. Clearly I think it is a very important issue and it is worthy of a lot of dialog.
From an earlier post on the Industry Discussion Group:
September 18, SignonSanDiego - (Nationwide) Mexican trucks show better
safety records than U.S. counterparts. Following a fierce debate on
whether Mexican trucks should be allowed to access U.S. roads,
transportation officials released a study showing that Mexican long-
haul trucks had better safety records than their U.S. counterparts
between 2003 and 2006. Only 1.21 percent of the Mexican drivers
failed roadside inspections during that period, a number much smaller
than the 7.06 percent of U.S. drivers, according to the Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration. The study's findings benefit the case
of the Bush Administration, which strongly promoted the program
allowing the Mexican trucks to operate in the U.S. At the same time,
the figures seem to dismiss the Senate's safety concerns, which were
the primary reason why the officials cut the funding for the
controversial program -- the final legislation is still pending in
Congress. However, the director at Advocates for Highway and Auto
Safety claims the study does not reflect reality because Mexican
drivers knew in advance they were going to be scrutinized and
therefore, performed better. Overall, 21.29 percent of long-haul
trucks were removed from service in Mexico and 23.5 percent in the
U.S.
Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20070918-1748-cnsmextruck.html
Cross Border Truck Safety Inspection Program
News
DOT 21-07
Friday, February 23, 2007
Contact: Sarah Echols
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
New Program to Allow U.S. Trucks into Mexico for the First Time Ever,
Change Way Some Mexican Trucks Operate Within the United States
El Paso, Texas - U.S. trucks will for the first time be allowed to
make deliveries in Mexico under a year-long pilot program that expands
cross border trucking operations with Mexico, U.S. Transportation
Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today during a visit to truck
inspection facilities in El Paso, Texas.
U.S. trucks will get to make deliveries into Mexico while a select
group of Mexican trucking companies will be allowed to make deliveries
beyond the 20-25 mile commercial zones currently in place along the
Southwest border.
Secretary Peters said the new demonstration program was designed to
simplify a process that currently requires Mexican truckers to stop
and wait for U.S. trucks to arrive and transfer cargo. She said this
process wastes money, drives up the cost of goods, and leaves trucks
loaded with cargo idling inside U.S. borders. The Secretary added that
under current rules, U.S. trucks are not allowed into Mexico because
the United States refused to implement provisions of the North
American Free Trade Agreement that would have permitted safe cross-
border trucking.
"The United States has never shied away from opportunities to compete,
to open new markets and to trade with the world. Now that safety and
security programs are in place, the time has come for us to move
forward on this longstanding promise with Mexico," Secretary Peters
said.
"We are committed to retaining a high level of security and safety
standards under this program," said Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff. "The tough security measures we already have in
place will remain unchanged, resulting in a smart and secure approach
to safeguarding the border, while allowing for American and Mexican
carriers to deliver cargo outside of arbitrary commercial zones."
"Today's announcement is another sign of the strength of the U.S.-
Mexico relationship and a further step towards making our economies
globally competitive, promoting mutual economic growth and prosperity
while continuing to protect the safety of our borders," said Commerce
Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez.
"Safety is the number one priority and strict U.S. safety standards
won't change," Secretary Gutierrez continued. "We will continue to
work closely with President Calderon and his administration on ways we
can further enhance the commerce of our countries and the
competitiveness of our hemisphere without sacrificing safety or
security."
Secretary Peters noted that the Department of Transportation has put
in place a rigorous inspection program to ensure the safe operation of
Mexican trucks crossing the border. Yesterday, Peters and Mexican
Secretary of Communications and Transportation Luis Téllez announced a
program to have U.S. inspectors conduct in-person safety audits to
make sure that participating Mexican companies comply with U.S. safety
regulations. The regulations require all Mexican truck drivers to hold
a valid commercial drivers license, carry proof they are medically
fit, comply with all U.S. hours-of-service rules and be able to
understand questions and directions in English.
Secretary Peters said those Mexican truck companies that may be
allowed to participate in the one-year program will all be required to
have insurance with a U.S. licensed firm and meet all U.S. safety
standards. Companies that meet these standards will be allowed to make
international pick up and deliveries only and will not be able to move
goods from one U.S. city for delivery to another, haul hazardous
materials or transport passengers.
The first Mexican trucks to be authorized under the program will begin
traveling beyond U.S. border areas once the initial in-person safety
inspections are done and proof-of-insurance verified. Secretary Peters
noted that with the announcement of the program, Mexico will begin to
consider applications from U.S. trucking firms for licensing rights to
operate within Mexico. Approximately 100 U.S. operators would be
licensed by Mexico for cross-border operations.
In 2001, Congress authorized the cross border inspection program and
listed 22 safety requirements that had to be in place before other
steps were implemented. The Secretary noted that the Department's
independent Inspector General's reports have confirmed success in
meeting the congressional requirements. In addition, Secretary Peters
said the Department has invested $500 million since 1995 to modernize
border safety facilities and hire and train the over 500 federal and
state inspectors who inspect trucks crossing the border every day.
"We have years of experience, we have a rigorous safety inspection
plan in place and we have the facilities and the trained professionals
to carry it out," Secretary Peters said. "Through this new pilot
program, we are finding a better way to do business with one of this
nation's largest trading partners, and in doing so, bringing U.S.
drivers more opportunity, U.S. consumers more buying power and the
U.S. economy even more momentum," she added.
# # #
Source: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/cbtsip/dot2107.htm
Finally, the situation does pose some interesting considerations. If a
Mexican driver is taking a load to, say, Topeka; does this constitute
working in the US without proper papers? Is the driver paying US taxes
on the income he or she is earning on American soil to help pay for
the roads they're driving on? Is it a Department of Labor issue? For
instance, if an actor wants to come from England to perform on
Broadway the production company must justify to the DoL and Actors
Equity that there are no American actors available to fit the bill.
Whether a union element or not - let's face it, American jobs and
families are affected. Last I checked there's about a third more
imports from Mexico to the US than vis versa. So there's a balance
question regarding two way traffic. Although the majority of long haul
drivers are independent owner/operators, I wonder if there is an IBT
local in Mexico. It says "International" in its name.
Finally, let's not forget there are multinational corporations
involved in the trade and we know know what the bottom line is with
them. The growers there are financially hooked up with American interests.
-----------------------
Still the issue of defying congress remains and a declaratory ruling from a federal bench with some restraining actions should be initiated from a purely proper representation point of view. Remember that Homeland Security is being used as a special interests army with the rubric of security American flag wrapped around it and many feel it should be a legacy that must be removed as a cabinet level department and downsized to a few specialized function agency when a new majority enters office next term.
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