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-- Mexican Trucks to have access on US Roadways by this Weekend? WTF!
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So has all hell broke loose down there with all your drunk Mexican truck drivers down there? 
FINALLY, the American Government DOES SOMETHING!!
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Senate votes to block Mexican trucks test By Kevin Drawbaugh
Tue Sep 11, 9:51 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to block funding for a Bush administration test program to let Mexican long-haul trucks operate in the United States under 1994's North American Free Trade Agreement.
One day after a fiery truck accident killed dozens in Mexico, the Senate approved an amendment to a transportation spending bill that would cut off funding for the test, which the administration authorized last week to run for one year.
The House of Representatives has passed a similar measure.
The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto the broad transportation bill because it would spend more money than President George W. Bush requested. It said the administration opposes any restrictions on the cross-border trucking program.
The administration said "it has the necessary safeguards in place to ensure a safe and secure program."
A tractor-trailer loaded with explosives blew up in a huge fireball on Monday after hitting a pickup truck in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. At least 29 people were killed.
Calling the accident a warning to proceed cautiously, North Dakota Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan led the effort to deny funding for the program.
Dorgan questioned Mexican truck safety rules, as well as the handling of the test by the Bush administration, which he said "rushed to implement the pilot program late last week -- literally in the dark of night."
He said the Transportation Department authorized the program too quickly, despite a report that found numerous problems with Mexican truck safety records.
Dorgan said the vote against the program was "a turning of the tide on the senseless, headlong rush this country has been engaged in for some time to dismantle safety standards and a quality of life it took generations to achieve."
The pilot program involves both Mexican trucks operating in the United States and U.S. trucks being allowed to operate in Mexico, within limits on both sides.
Arizona Republican Sen. John Kyl, defending the program in Senate floor debate, said the test would involve a maximum of 100 Mexican companies and 500 to 600 trucks on U.S. roads.
"It is worth giving this program a chance ... It is much more efficient and much cheaper for American consumers if those Mexican trucks can travel in the United States," Kyl said.
Missouri Republican Christopher Bond said, "There is some strong support for allowing these trucks to run in the United States." He cited a letter of support for the program from agribusiness interests that said NAFTA promises the program.
John Hill, an administrator in the Transportation Department, called the vote to block the program "a sad victory for the politics of fear and protectionism."
Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown compared pressure to open up U.S. roads to Mexican trucks to the kind of free-trade pressures that opened U.S. markets to tainted food and toys from China "because it serves multinational corporations."
Brown said, "This pilot program doesn't make sense ... Too often in this chamber we write trade deals that ignore consumers and coddle corporations."
On the overall transportation bill, the Senate approved on Monday an amendment providing $1 billion more for bridge renovations nationwide after last month's collapse of a span in Minnesota and fears that other U.S. bridges were unsound.
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| Originally posted by Zharen The answer is simple, the Canucks can read, write and speak English. That would make them less of a threat on the roads |
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| Originally posted by Lira Yeah, I see your point: traffic signs are completely different once you cross the border, right? |
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| Originally posted by Krypton FINALLY, the American Government DOES SOMETHING!! ------------------------ Senate votes to block Mexican trucks test By Kevin Drawbaugh Tue Sep 11, 9:51 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to block funding for a Bush administration test program to let Mexican long-haul trucks operate in the United States under 1994's North American Free Trade Agreement. One day after a fiery truck accident killed dozens in Mexico, the Senate approved an amendment to a transportation spending bill that would cut off funding for the test, which the administration authorized last week to run for one year. The House of Representatives has passed a similar measure. The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto the broad transportation bill because it would spend more money than President George W. Bush requested. It said the administration opposes any restrictions on the cross-border trucking program. The administration said "it has the necessary safeguards in place to ensure a safe and secure program." A tractor-trailer loaded with explosives blew up in a huge fireball on Monday after hitting a pickup truck in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. At least 29 people were killed. Calling the accident a warning to proceed cautiously, North Dakota Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan led the effort to deny funding for the program. Dorgan questioned Mexican truck safety rules, as well as the handling of the test by the Bush administration, which he said "rushed to implement the pilot program late last week -- literally in the dark of night." He said the Transportation Department authorized the program too quickly, despite a report that found numerous problems with Mexican truck safety records. Dorgan said the vote against the program was "a turning of the tide on the senseless, headlong rush this country has been engaged in for some time to dismantle safety standards and a quality of life it took generations to achieve." The pilot program involves both Mexican trucks operating in the United States and U.S. trucks being allowed to operate in Mexico, within limits on both sides. Arizona Republican Sen. John Kyl, defending the program in Senate floor debate, said the test would involve a maximum of 100 Mexican companies and 500 to 600 trucks on U.S. roads. "It is worth giving this program a chance ... It is much more efficient and much cheaper for American consumers if those Mexican trucks can travel in the United States," Kyl said. Missouri Republican Christopher Bond said, "There is some strong support for allowing these trucks to run in the United States." He cited a letter of support for the program from agribusiness interests that said NAFTA promises the program. John Hill, an administrator in the Transportation Department, called the vote to block the program "a sad victory for the politics of fear and protectionism." Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown compared pressure to open up U.S. roads to Mexican trucks to the kind of free-trade pressures that opened U.S. markets to tainted food and toys from China "because it serves multinational corporations." Brown said, "This pilot program doesn't make sense ... Too often in this chamber we write trade deals that ignore consumers and coddle corporations." On the overall transportation bill, the Senate approved on Monday an amendment providing $1 billion more for bridge renovations nationwide after last month's collapse of a span in Minnesota and fears that other U.S. bridges were unsound. |
Two truck accidents in the states that caused deaths in the last couple of days:
Byciclists die in accident
Man killed in crash
Surely I could find tons more if I looked hard enough.
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Safety "myths" said to block Mexico trucks from U.S. Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:29pm EDT By Robin Emmott MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate decision to block funding for a test program to let Mexico's long-haul trucks operate in the United States uses outdated safety fears to mask protectionism, Mexican truckers and the U.S. government say. A truck crash in the desert of northern Mexico killed dozens last weekend when a cargo of explosives blew up, creating a huge fireball and crater in the road. That helped influence the U.S. Senate when it voted on Tuesday to block funding for a test program to let Mexican long-haul trucks operate in the United States under 1994's North American Free Trade Agreement. But Mexican truckers and the Bush administration say that kind of accident would not happen to Mexican trucks in the United States under the program. The 600 rigs that were due to take part in the one-year plan were new vehicles and safety checks on the U.S-Mexico border were tougher than for U.S. truck drivers. Checks are so tight that only one truck, from Mexico's northern city of Monterrey made it deep into the United States in the five days the project lasted. The truck took steel to North Carolina last weekend before strong pressure from well-paid U.S truckers suspended the funding on Tuesday night. The Bush administration says it will try to convince Congress to rethink the decision to block funding and could veto the broad spending transportation bill approved on Tuesday night. Calling the decision a "sad victory for the politics of fear and protectionism," John Hill, a director at the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, echoed frustration at what Mexican business leaders see as hypocritical behavior from the United States, the main promoter of free trade in the Americas. "Safety is not an issue. The truck that went from Monterrey to North Carolina was a 2007 Freightliner made in the United States imported into Mexico," said Fernando Paez, whose Transportes Olympic was the first Mexican company to win U.S. approval under the pilot plan promoted by U.S. President George W. Bush. The NAFTA trade deal requires open borders for long-haul vehicles, but the United States, citing safety concerns, has limited Mexican trucks to U.S. border cities like San Diego since 1982. Some 70 percent of the U.S.-Mexico $330 billion annual trade flow goes by road. Free roaming for trucks could save consumers in both countries over $400 million a year in transport costs, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. SAFETY "MYTHS" Gustavo Gonzalez, a director of Mexico's truckers association Canacar, said safety concerns were "myths" and Mexico had a similar safety record for long-haul cargo vehicles as the United States. "The older trucks we use for transfers at the border are not those that we would use on U.S. roads. Our best trucks cost 10 times that of the transfer vehicles," Gonzalez said. But the U.S. Teamsters union, fearful of job losses among its 100,000 long-haul drivers, said the fiery truck accident in Coahuila in Mexico "demonstrated a lack of safety standards." "This is about greed, about Mexican business who want to use lower-paid truck drivers to get us their commerce as cheaply as possible despite the risks," Teamsters' General President Jim Hoffa told Reuters. Robert West, an Americas trade expert at Global Insight consultancy, said U.S. lawmakers' resistance to the Bush truckers plan was more about politics and double standards in Washington. "Congress' position is duplicitous and sets back the time when the border will be truly open, as it should be under NAFTA," he said. |
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Free roaming for trucks could save consumers in both countries over $400 million a year in transport costs, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. |
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| Originally posted by venomX So basically one accident in Mexico involving trucks is enough to validate banning all Mexican trucks? Oh I am sure that no truckers cause accidents in the States. We all know how those US truckers are law abiding citizens that always keep they're composure and respect all the laws of the road. Talk a bit about unfounded xenophobia. Where did your capitalism and free trade go to now? |
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| Originally posted by Krypton It didn't go anywhere. We're hopscotching this NAFTA deal like we're in kindergarten. We have over 12 million illegal immigrants which have still to be dealt with, and they now want to open the borders further? How about this. Fix the damn border problem, the immigrant problem, THEN start talking about free trade. I'm all for free trade, but it seems like the Bush administration cares only about free trade. We have bigger issues to take of before we talk free trade with Mexico. it's not xenophobia. If our borders aren't secured and enforced, then we're not a country. A country without border? Come on |
All that's needed to ship illicit cargo (drugs, guns, etc.) is for one of those trucks to have fuck you placards on them. What I mean is that these placards will identify those trucks as cargo that would not be inspected such as "perishable medicines" or "donor blood".
People complaining should step back and look at the big picture.
You can't find bin Laden but you can find some ecstasy or a bag of smoke.
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| Originally posted by venomX So no multitasking? I guess doing more than one thing at the same time is too much for you folks. Obviously the situation at the border should be fixed, but it doesn't follow that trucks that go through stringent requirements and controls shouldn't be allowed to transit into the US. |
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| Originally posted by ogvh5150 All that's needed to ship illicit cargo (drugs, guns, etc.) is for one of those trucks to have fuck you placards on them. What I mean is that these placards will identify those trucks as cargo that would not be inspected such as "perishable medicines" or "donor blood". People complaining should step back and look at the big picture. You can't find bin Laden but you can find some ecstasy or a bag of smoke. |
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| Originally posted by Krypton Well, the Senate blocked it by overwhelming vote, bi-partisan. If Mexico can comply fully with our standards, then I wouldn't have a problem with Mexican trucks, or Canadian trucks for that matter delivering goods from their countries. What I want is for our governments to fix this border control problem before we start doing these pilot programs. Did you get the message when I said a country without enforced borders isn't a country at all? --------------- Mexican Truck Inspection Program Sorely Lacking, Allows Trucks With Faulty Brakes, Leaky Fuel Lines to Stay on Road Lack of Rules Is Worrisome in Light of NAFTA Panel Order for U.S. to Give Mexican Trucks Access to All U.S. Roads WASHINGTON - February 7 - Mexico�s truck inspection system, instituted in response to the United States� concerns about dangerous rigs, is riddled with holes that allow vehicles with major safety defects to stay on the road, a Public Citizen analysis has found. Mexico�s program is particularly critical in light of a ruling issued Tuesday ordering the U.S. to permit Mexican trucks to have access to all U.S. roads. If the Bush administration as expected complies with the panel�s order � rather than pay trade sanctions � U.S. highways may soon be flooded with trucks from Mexico. Under Mexico�s new program, which is voluntary for the first year, safety defects that merely incur a fine and a request that the problem be fixed within 20 days would cause a truck in the U.S. to be removed from the road. These defects include improperly stored hazardous materials, missing fuses, worn or exposed wires, a lack of windshield wipers, a shattered windshield, damaged tires, broken wheel rims, leaky fuel lines, worn or cracked load securement chains, loose steering wheels, cracked brake drums and inoperative brake linings. "We can�t afford to invite trucks with balding tires, slipshod brakes, leaky exhaust systems, and bad steering wheels to roam freely on our roads," said Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen president and former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Mexico has made an effort to begin addressing these issues, but it falls way short of the mark. Until the country has a stringent set of standards that are enforced, we shouldn�t allow these trucks to have unlimited access to our highways." On Tuesday, a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) tribunal found the U.S. has been violating NAFTA because it has limited access of Mexican trucks to a narrow 20-mile commercial zone along the border. NAFTA, which took effect in 1994, required the U.S. to allow Mexican trucks access to all border-state roads starting in 1995, and to drive anywhere in the country by January 2000. The Clinton administration recognized the danger the trucks posed and for seven years refused to expand their access beyond a 20-mile radius from the border. According to the panel, the U.S. may enforce its own standards on any trucks traveling in the U.S. But doing so effectively would require a legion of federal and state inspectors, and the U.S. lacks personnel and facilities to check most Mexican trucks. In fact, data show fewer than 1 percent of the four million Mexican trucks entering the U.S. now are inspected (and 35 percent of those are taken out of service for safety failures). In July, Mexico established a set of fledgling standards for commercial trucks, but they are greatly lacking, Public Citizen has found. The rules provide for roadside inspections only on Mexico�s federal highways, which constitute only 10 percent of Mexico�s roads. Most rules for critical items such as tires, headlights and hazardous materials are voluntary for the first year. Even once they become mandatory, the rules are far from comprehensive. Public Citizen also found that: Industries that will profit from the lack of adequate safety rules for trucks crossing the border had a heavy hand in crafting Mexico�s safety regulations; Mexico�s inspection rules set a maximum time limit of 30 minutes for an inspection of a general cargo carrier and limits inspection of a hazardous materials carrier to 20 minutes � not nearly enough time for a thorough inspection. In contrast, the U.S. sets no time limit for inspections; and, Mexico sets no limit on the hours a commercial driver may drive. Rather, the company sets the limit. The U.S., in contrast, has hours-of-service rules that play a critical role in reducing crashes caused by drowsy drivers (even though they should be shorter). |
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