And the saga continues.

First in 1995 the US and Mexico started a pilot program to allow Mexican trucks to travel throughout the US delivering loads brought in from Mexico.

The US trucks were allowed to do the same in Mexico, but safety and security concerns spurred the United States to bar Mexican trucks from being on U.S. roadways.

There has been no indication from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) or the Department of Transportation (DOT) or from Mexico that any of these safety and security concerns have been addressed.

16 years later the safety and security concerns still exist, but Obama agreed to allow the Mexican trucks back into the US and at a price too. These Mexican trucks are to be fitted with Electronic on-board recorders (EOBR.)

An EOBR is an electronic device attached to a commercial motor vehicle, which is used to record the amount of time a vehicle is being driven. The driving hours of commercial drivers – truck and bus drivers – are regulated by a set of rules known as the hours-of-service(HOS). The HOS are rules intended to prevent driver fatigue, by limiting the amount of time drivers spend driving commercial vehicles.

Not only are these Mexican trucks going to take some freight lanes away from American truckers, but US Truck drivers and taxpayers are going to foot the bill for the EOBRs for the Mexican trucking companies. Taxpayers nor US truck drivers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the Mexican trucking industry to comply with American safety standards. It is outrageous that we would spend tax dollars to pay for equipment on Mexican trucks; equipment which either the Mexican government or the Mexican carriers themselves should be required to pay for.

If the Mexican truckers want to operate in the US, let them pay for their own damn EOBR. This is just a slap in the face of every American truck driver and taxpayer that we will be forced to pay; so Mexican truck drivers can come into the US and take loads from US truck drivers. This whole cross-border deal is NO GOOD. Mexican truckers should NOT BE ALLOWED any further than they are legally bound now. Drop and hook the loads at the border and be done with it.

The US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood along with Obama “tout” that this new cross-border trucking plan with Mexico is going to create jobs. But, it does not take a genius to see that by allowing Mexican trucks into the US will cut jobs. Steve Russell, chief executive officer of Indianapolis-based Celadon Group Inc., which serves the U.S., Canada and Mexico said, “The theory behind cross-border trucking is that one tractor would replace three.” That sure sounds like taking jobs away.

American trucks are allowed under this deal to go into Mexico also – so that is supposed to make up the differences in the loads being taken away from US truckers. Even though the Highway Information Sharing Analysis Center, which is financed by the Department of Homeland Security and run out of the Transportation Security Administration, issued an advisory warning drivers and trucking companies that they could be exposed to violence from Mexico’s drug wars.

Maybe Ray LaHood and Anne Ferro and Obama should team a load down to Mexico and see first hand of what this “deal” is like for American truck drivers. I guess maybe they have not seen the news about all the border violence that has been going on for a while now. I know Obama doesn’t know what is going on because he thinks the border is secure enough.

Mark Reddig, the host of OOIDA’s Land Line Now, hit the nail on the head in a blog post titled: A Bad Example. Mark wrote:

Ray LaHood needed an example to back up what he was saying and show how his office has worked with the trucking industry in the past. Here’s the example he chose (and keep in mind this is a direct quote):

“We’re working with the trucking industry on their ability to continue to be competitive. They weren’t particularly enamored of some of the proposals that were being floated around with respect to the Mexican truck – the cross border, uh, but we met with them and we worked those out.”

Excuse me? You worked what out, exactly? And with whom? Which trucking industry did you work with, Secretary LaHood? It certainly wasn’t the same one that I work with. The trucking industry that I work with still doesn’t like the new proposed Mexican trucking program any better than the old program.

You want to know why? Let’s start with jobs. If this program goes through, American truckers will lose jobs. Period. Oh, but American truckers would be able to go down to Mexico and haul loads from there as well. Have you looked at the news from Mexico lately? Drug cartel violence. Kidnappings. It’s not a place I would want to be hauling valuable cargo into.

I just want to ask one simple question. Will someone from Obama’s administration or anyone please explain to me and 4million US truck drivers how this creates jobs for Americans?

Sources:
A Bad Example – Land Line Now
U.S. Warns Truckers on Border – Wall Street Journal

© 2011, Truck Drivers News Blog. All rights reserved.

Related Posts:

• Where is the Outrage – Mexican Trucks are coming to a State Near you
• Strike Three! – FMCSA, You’re Outta There!
• Anne Ferro:”This is Why US-Taxpayers and American Truck Drivers need to Foot The Bill for EOBRs for Mexican Trucks”
• Time to Put the Myths and Fictional stats to Rest – Let the Investigation’s Begin
• FMCSA to Hold Public Listening Session on Hours-of-Service