MasonM

Join Date 01/2004

+45

Senate Actually Does A Good Thing

I am so used to our elected "representatives" screwing us over that I am actually surprised when they do something that is actually in our best interest. The Senate did such a thing today when they voted 74 to 24 to cut off the funding for the Mexican truck pilot program.

For those who are not aware, this Bush pilot program was to last for a year and would allow Mexican trucking companies full access to operate within the United States. They would be allowed to haul freight to any point in the US and haul freight back into Mexico in much the same way Canadian companies do now.

So what's wrong with this program? Lots.

Firstly, the reason for big companies to want this situation is that they can ship their freight at a fraction of the cost they do now. Mexican truckers are paid less than half of American truckers and the Mexican companies will haul the freight for half of what an American company will haul it. Under the current system an American trucker will haul the Mexican freight to the border where a Mexican trucker will pick it up and haul it on into Mexico. We've been doing it that way for years and it works just fine.

Secondly, under this pilot program the Mexican truckers would be issued a one year visa. My (and many other's) question is why? Canadian drivers aren't given a visa. The answer of course is obvious. They intend for this to be a "guest worker" program in order to undercut the American trucking industry. It would result in drastically reduced freight rates and lower wages for truckers (which hasn't increased since 1980 as it is). It's a completely underhanded way to destroy the American trucking industry as it exists today.

Mexican truck drivers are not trained to anything even close to the standards of American truck drivers. They aren't drug tested at all, and in fact there isn't a single driver drug testing facility in the entire country of Mexico.

Mexican truckers are not subjected to any sort of background check or medical physical in the way American truckers are. There would be no way of knowing who these people are, what communicable diseases they carry (can you say TB?), or what sort of criminals they might be. American truckers are subjected to very close scrutiny and everything they do is recorded in a national database. Not so the Mexican trucker.

There is also absolutely no way for American DOT officers to verify how many hours or days that Mexican driver has been driving before he crossed the border. This creates a extremely dangerous safety risk on our highways.

The vast majority of Mexican trucks are the old, worn out trucks they have purchased from American fleets when they become too old and unsafe to operate in the US. These are the trucks they want to allow to come back in to run our roads. I have literally seen Mexican trucks down around the border towns with their bumpers held on with bungee cords and the mirrors held on with duct tape. That's no joke, and there is no possible way they could hope to inspect every single Mexican truck that crosses the border to ensure they are safe to operate.

They basically want to allow truckers into this country that don't even come close to meeting our training and safety standards and somehow that's going to be ok. The American trucking industry has very loudly and firmly said "Hell no!" and the Senate has actually listened for a change.

We have been fighting against opening the border to Mexican trucks for quite some time now and it looks like we finally have some hope of winning this one. The Senate and the House are reasonably certain they have the votes to override the President's promised veto on this amended transportation budget and I certainly hope it's true. If Mexican trucks start running across the US you can be damn sure the highway accident rates are going to skyrocket and a lot of American truckers will be put out of business for good.

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The problem is that this was part of NAFTA. We won't be in compliance. They say (our government) that they will hold the Mexican trucks and Mexican truck drivers to the same safety standards as U.S. trucks and drivers. I know this was a big issue for Teamsters.

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Pray tell how, given the lack of a database, training, certifications, and all of the other things needed, are "they" going to "hold the Mexican trucks and Mexican truck drivers to the same safety standards as U.S. trucks and drivers"? It simply can not be done. "They" are liars, plain and simple, because "they" know full well it's impossible.

This is a subject about which I know a great deal, and not just politically motivated bullshit rhetoric. As a member of OOIDA I have been very much involved with this issue over the past few years. Giving Mexican drivers one year visas has nothing to do with NAFTA. Point of fact, until Mexico sets up the same standards, training, databases, etc. as the US and Canada we do not have to allow them in under NAFTA or any other agreement. Congress knows this full well, as does Mexico.

This pilot program is about big business trying once again to displace American workers with cheap foreign labor and nothing more.

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As soon as 'they' 'hold the Mexican truck and Mexican truck drivers to the same safety standards as U.S. trucks and drivers' they will be welcome in our country. They will also cost just as much, because they will be just as regulated as the US truckers, and regulation is really expensive.

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The action came despite Bush administration assurances that Mexican trucks and their drivers would undergo rigorous safety checks, including a "39-point, front-to-back inspection" of trucks and drug testing for drivers.

"So why people can, with a straight face, continue to say that the safety of these vehicles is in question is beyond me," Hill said in an interview. "I think it's a very serious matter when two countries come together and agree to do something and then one party doesn't fulfill its obligation."

The Mexican government has allowed the first of as many as 100 U.S. trucking companies to operate south of the border.

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Excellent article Mason. Hopefully it'll get featured as it seems to deserve it. :big thumbs up: and /salute!

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It's a completely underhanded way to destroy the American trucking industry as it exists today

This pilot program is about big business trying once again to displace American workers with cheap foreign labor and nothing more

Just like they did to Manufacturing, they are now turning to services? what is next?

It is a shame that this program ever existed and i am glad it will end.

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Which part of the fact that all of this is physically impossible do you not understand? It can not be done. There is also no way for our DOT to inspect every single truck and there is no way for them to verify how many hours/days that Mexican driver has been on duty prior to crossing the border.

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Exactly. Not only safety standards but driver training and certification standards and a driver/company database that can be accessed by our DOT and other law enforcement.

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Excellent article Mason. Hopefully it'll get featured as it seems to deserve it. :big thumbs up: and /salute!

Thank you. This is a subject near and dear to me as it threatens my personal safety as well as my livelihood.

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It's a completely underhanded way to destroy the American trucking industry as it exists today

This pilot program is about big business trying once again to displace American workers with cheap foreign labor and nothing more

Just like they did to Manufacturing, they are now turning to services? what is next?

It is a shame that this program ever existed and i am glad it will end.

Yep, that's the whole basis of this and they are trying to hide it under the guise of NAFTA. The fact that they want to give these drivers a one year visa should raise a huge red flag for anyone with more than a couple of working brain cells. It's corporate greed plain and simple.

They are trying to pretend that somehow our safety officials can magically make up for a complete lack of tracking, training, and inspections in the Mexican government which is simply impossible. If the Mexican government wants their trucks to be able to operate here the onus is on them to meet the necessary standards to ensure the safety of their trucks and drivers before they cross the border just as the Canadians do now.

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I came, i saw, I have no comment.

Wait, yes I do!

If the Mexican government wants their trucks to be able to operate here the onus is on them to meet the necessary standards to ensure the safety of their trucks and drivers before they cross the border just as the Canadians do now.

That is it. The rest is hyperbole. We cannot stop people from competing. But they must compete on an equal footing. The rules of the road for truckers, while some may be arbitrary and too restrictive, were and are designed for safety. If they want to compete, they MUST at least observe that dictum. If they want to work for pennies, that is a penalty that will come true regardless of other factors. But the regulations, some a big joke, are there for a reason, and with lots of history behind them. The bandit not with standing, it is for all our safety.

And I hate agreeing with liberals!

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The rest is hyperbole.

Are you serious? Hyperbole?

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I was wondering when / if you were going to post something on this.

I didn't really even hear of the issue until about 3 weeks ago and then I listened to the hosts on XM 171, lol. The truckers channel, The Open Road. Learned lots about the program and still could learn even more. While Im not a big union fan, I liked how the Teamsters were making some noise about this issue and that OOIDA got involved. Like they mentioned a few times, OOIDA needs more members to make more of an impact.....hopefully they will get there.

I myself as you know, am not a truck driver. Im in the process of going to a CDL mill via the local comm college unfortunately.

To me its a huge big red flag when it isn't regulated that much...the Mexican drivers, their trucks and freight. No way of drug testing, not sure if they keep logs down there and if they would have to keep them up here as well. Anyone that follows the American Trucking Industry knows how heavily watched and regulated it is and to have drivers enter it via a 'freebie' pass, thats just sad.

One of the XM hosts guests mentioned that it wouldnt be such a problem if they were regulated like we are and paid like we are.

Of course, the sad part is that the mexican companies are bringing up products that are from companies that used to have factories in the US.

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Are you serious? Hyperbole?

yes. The rest is a symptom of a large industry or directly related and dependant on the main issue. There are crooks and felons driving now in the US, but they are not the majority. Nor are the ones that are going to cross the border. Yes, they will work for less as the standard of living n Mexico is a lot less as well. But part of that lower wage (and I think a big part) is the fact that any old joe can get a rust bucket and start hauling freight. If they had to bring their trucks and drivers up to US standards (which for the most part were created to ensure safety and competancy), then their wages would undoubtably increase as well, and while probably still lower than the average here, would not be so much cheaper as to drive Canadian and American drivers off the road.

it is one thing to outsource jobs to India as they still live there. It is another thing to bring 3rd world conditions into this country to outsource jobs.

That is the nut of the issue. All the other points are just the kindling, not the main source of the fire.

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One of the XM hosts guests mentioned that it wouldnt be such a problem if they were regulated like we are and paid like we are.

That's true. If they were to bring their trucking industry up to some reasonable standards comparable to the US and Canada it would be a non issue.

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If they had to bring their trucks and drivers up to US standards (which for the most part were created to ensure safety and competancy), then their wages would undoubtably increase as well, and while probably still lower than the average here, would not be so much cheaper as to drive Canadian and American drivers off the road.

And that my friend is the crux of the biscuit.

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And that my friend is the crux of the biscuit.

Agreed.

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After living in San Diego for a number of years, I saw a large number of Mexican trucks that were allowed to travel a certain distance North of the border, and seeing the shape most of them were in made me scared to drive near the border. They were rarely inspected for illegal content, let alone for safety. I am not sure if the insurance laws are the same in Baja California as in Cali but i doubt it. Over 1/3 of all cars from Mexico were uninsured when driving in the US. You can figure how much that raised US insurance rates. I don't really mind Canadian trucks but the guys from Quebec drive like Parisians. Ugh!

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They were rarely inspected for illegal content, let alone for safety.

And that needs to change. I dont live there, but we visit several times a year as that is where my InLaws are. And the condition of the cars, much less the trucks, is a scandal.

I don't really mind Canadian trucks but the guys from Quebec drive like Parisians. Ugh!

Ouch! I have been to Paris, and that is the worst cut on them!

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Let's hope it's the first challenge to the whole Meximericanada scam... and kills it.

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Let's hope it's the first challenge to the whole Meximericanada scam... and kills it.

There are 2 sides to every coin. We can go down to their level, or bring them up to ours. I hope and chose the latter. Politics being what they are, I know I am on the losing side.

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Even if the trucks chosen to run inside our borders are safe, there is no way to ensure that the drivers are the same. No checks of any kind, no database, no way of knowing what they did prior to crossing the border.

I've also seen these Mexican trucks and 'junk' is a kind word for them.

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This pilot program is about big business trying once again to displace American workers with cheap foreign labor and nothing more.

Think Aloud posts:

It is a shame that this program ever existed and i am glad it will end.

MasonM--I'll add my high 5 kudos to you for writing this as well.

This has been developing since last March...it's part of the North American Union vision that Pres. Bush has going with Mexico and Canada. According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters for the first time, starting last April, 100 Mexican trucking companies will be allowed to make deliveries anywhere in the United States, and she put no limit on the number of trucks the 100 companies can operate.

Imagine President Bush allowing Mexican trucks to have open access to all our highways, roads and bridges...even Clinton didn't allow that. Here, it's so disappointing that Pres. Bush could care less about US interests.

It's true that the Mexican truck drivers don't have to meet the same strict requirements that US drivers do especially the enforcement of driving hours. We have no way of telling how many hours Mexican truck drivers have been on the road before they reach our border inspectors.

I've been told the Mexican trucking industry, with few exceptions, has never successfully been monitored, much less supervised.

The whole thing is nuts and like you, Mason, I'm glad the Congress voted against this one and I hope they have the votes to override the Pres. veto if it comes to that.

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This pilot program is about big business trying once again to displace American workers with cheap foreign labor and nothing more.

Bravo! Well put.

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This pilot program is about big business trying once again to displace American workers with cheap foreign labor and nothing more.

Bravo! Well put.

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