Thread: Bipartisan Letter Calls For Repeal of Mexican Truck Program

April 15, 2010

Bipartisan Letter Calls For Repeal of Mexican Truck Program

In a recent letter written to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and U.S. Trade Representative Ronald Kirk, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and 78 members of Congress urge the administration to repeal the Mexican truck program and renegotiate the section of the North American Free Trade Agreement that opens U.S. roadways to Mexican trucks.

"Mexico has no meaningful system for commercial driver's licenses, drug testing or hours of service," DeFazio said. "This is a trade agreement that threatens the safety of the American public. Mexico has no right to use tariffs to force unsafe trucks with exhausted over-worked, under-paid drivers into the United States."

Under NAFTA, the U.S.-Mexico border was supposed to have been opened to border-state traffic in 1995 and to long-distance traffic in 2000. The opening was stalled until 2007, in part by difficult negotiations with Mexico, but mainly by the legislative and legal tactics of U.S. labor, owner-operator and citizen advocacy groups who fear loss of U.S. jobs to Mexican drivers and argue that Mexican trucks will not be safe. After Congress cut off a cross-border trucking pilot program a year ago by prohibiting funding for such a program, the Mexican government slapped $2.4 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods.

DeFazio and his colleagues argue that opening the border to Mexican trucks poses a threat to the traveling American public as a result of the different safety standards governing the country. The letter also claims there has been no comprehensive independent review to assess whether Mexico's trucking standards and driver licensing and safety rules are equivalent to the requirements of the U.S.

"Mexico's regulatory standards and enforcement on trucks aren't even remotely equivalent to what we have here," said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, in a statement in support of the letter. "To open the border at this time is insanity from both an economic standpoint and safety."

The letter suggests the U.S. renegotiate the U.S. commitment to liberalize cross-border trucking. "This would remedy all the truck safety, homeland security, and unemployment issues associated with this long standing trade dispute. A successful renegotiation would also eliminate retaliatory tariffs, which are negatively impacting our export markets," the letter said.

For a full copy of the letter, click here.

www.truckinginfo.com

Congresspersons who signed the letter:

Peter DeFazio

Duncan Hunter

Gene Taylor

James Oberstar

Brad Sherman

John Duncan

Ed Whitfield

Gene Green

Walter Jones

George Miller

Thaddeus McCotter

Louise Slaughter

Ted Poe

Collin Peterson

Barney Frank

Mike Michaud

Jim Marshall

Phil Hare

Jerry Cotello

Charlie Melancon

Bob Filner

Larry Kissell

Tim Holden

Steve Kagen

Leonard Boswell

Mike Doyle

Betty Sutton

Mark Schauer

Brian Baird

Tim Bishop

Mazie Hirono

Daniel Lipinski

Peter Welch

John Garamendi

Marcy Kaptur

Bruce Braley

Nick Rahall

Peter Visclosky

David Wu

John Boccieri

Jason Altmire

Russ Carnahan

Pete Stark

James McGovern

Michael Arcuri

Christopher Carney

Heath Shuler

Tim Walz

Maurice Hinchey

Bill Pascrell

Brian Higgins

Alan Mollohan

Lynn Woolsey

Grace Napolitano

Shelley Berkley

Dave Loebsack

Dennis Kucinich

Barbara Lee

Michael Capuano

Dennis Moore

Rick Boucher

Chellie Pingree

Keith Ellison

Joe Baca

Patrick Murphy

Janice Schakowsky

Loretta Sanchez

Carol Shea-Porter

Betty McCollum

Linda Sánchez

Tammy Baldwin

Paul Tonko

Kathy Dahlkemper

Bart Stupak

Jerrold Nadler

Mary Jo Kilroy

Jerry McNerney

Tim Ryan

Brad Sherman??? I'm shocked! Loretta Sanchez??? Linda Sanchez???

Good post!

Thank you for posting those names. Proud to see my congressman there.

Added to the Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-5136--0-0.html