Teamsters Praise (US) House for Blocking Cross-Border Trucking Program

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Teamsters.org

Hoffa Says Bush Administration Needs To Get It Right

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) _ The Teamsters Union strongly endorses the House of Representatives’ move today to block the Bush administration’s cross-border trucking program.

The House voted by voice vote to amend the Transportation-HUD 2008 appropriations bill by limiting funding for the pilot project. The amendment had bipartisan support, with sponsorship by Reps. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., Gary Miller, R-Calif., and Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

“The Transportation Department needs to get it right before throwing open our borders to Mexican trucks,” Hoffa said. “The Bush administration has been too eager to endanger the driving public by rushing headlong into this risky pilot project.”

Several weeks ago, Congress approved provisions in the War Supplemental legislation that laid out specific safety requirements before Mexican trucks can travel beyond the border zone. Despite the law, the Transportation Department is moving forward with its plan to let potentially dangerous trucks travel freely on U.S. highways.




Read more: http://www.teamster.org/07news/nr_070724_3.asp

[High Plains]

1. Eeek!!! Mexican Trucks!!

[Hotler]

2. Will the trucks ride low?

Will the front ends bounce up and down to music?

[Louie the XIV]

3. For the life of me I can't figure out

why American truckers have to abide by safety and environmental standards on American roads but not Mexican truckers.

It really makes you wonder about which countries citizens our representatives are looking after.

[eagler]

4. Quit thinking so logically - you scare me

[robcon]

10. You are misinformed.

Mexican trucks on U.S. roads have to have the same safety standards as Canadian trucks and American trucks. The only difference between Canadian trucks and Mexican trucks is the hysteria about Mexican trucks. Both are allowed by the NAFTA agreement, but Mexico, somehow, is a 'scarier' source of trucks than Canada.

Of course, I'm being coy. The scariness of Mexican trucks was invented by Teamsters and trucking companies to reduce competition for freight.

[Louie the XIV]

11. Think Again

The Administration’s pilot program does not explicitly ensure that Mexican truck companies meet the rigorous standards that American truck companies and individual over the road truckers must meet. This is troubling because American truckers must adhere to numerous federal and state regulations that help keep all drivers safe as we travel across the United States. Before Mexican truckers are given broad access to our roads, their companies and drivers ought to adhere to tough American standards. Until then, Mexican truck companies should not be given free reign of United States highways. For these reasons, I cosponsored and voted for H.R. 1773, the Safe American Roads Act of 2007, which was authored by Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Boyda from the neighboring state of Kansas.

H.R. 1773 would prohibit the Administration’s pilot program from taking place until 22 specific safety standards are met and until American trucking firms have equal access to Mexico. Some of the safety standards outlined in the legislation include drug testing of drivers and verification of insurance. These safety standards were previously required by Congress, but officials at the Department of Transportation have not fully implemented them and have indicated they do not apply to the Administration’s proposed cross-border pilot program


http://www.house.gov/skelton/col070520.htm

[sarcasmo]

5. This CDL holder is very afraid of Mexican trucks.

They don't have the same standards of inspections as our D.O.T does. If you are driving on the highway be afraid of Mexican trucks.

[nolabels]

6. I too have a CDL but work mostly as a truck mechanic

About a year of long haul and about 30 as a mechanic. About 6 years ago i worked for a company that had medium size production faculties on both sides of the border. They had several trucks which i took care of but only one truck with dual plates that could go the short distance 20 miles inside of Mexico. That truck almost always ended up needing extra maintenance because that short trip inside the border was so rough. I would assume the whole infrastructure that supports transportation is different in Mexico or at least the maquiladora parts near there. Today even the large companies that have just local trucks have hard time keeping up on everything to do with any the trucks (i am sure you would know that btw)

This logical idea that Mexican trucks are not as safe is not racist but probably more of a fact. Of the reports i have heard from my predominately Hispanic teamster coworkers and other drivers is that the repair shops on the other side of the border actually do have some pretty scary repair practices a lot of times. It's mostly nothing do with race per si but of that is just how they do business over there.

The idea from the big business standpoint seems to be to bring substandard business practices from across the border so they cannot really be regulated. Also Mexico has deep water ports on the pacific side which a few larger companies would like exploit to choke off port traffic and the organized labor on U.S. Pacific side. The thinking of bringing things to market cheaper to increase profit levels is the only thing that seems to be driving corporations anymore anyway :shrug:

[gulfcoastliberal]

7. That's awesome! A roadbump in their nafta superhighway plans.

Reference:

Federal Legislation Overview

For over ten years, NASCO has been developing a strong coalition of cities, counties, states, Canadian provinces, and private sector companies to lobby for federal funding and promote a "SuperCorridor" to address the transportation, trade and security needs of the three NAFTA nations.

We have assisted in the lobbying effort to bring hundreds of millions of dollars to the NASCO I-35 Corridor, resulting in High Priority Corridor status for I-35 in 1995 under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). In addition, we successfully assisted in lobbying for the creation of two new categories under the Transportation Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21) – the National Corridor Planning & Development Program and the Coordinated Border Infrastructure Program.

NASCO also successfully lobbied to take the Highway Trust fund "off-budget" which resulted in increased transportation formula funding for NASCO's corridor states.

NASCO has received $2.5 million in Congressional funding from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) for the development of a technology and tracking project. The project will have a team approach, using members of NASCO as the primary participants in the project, to the extent possible. NASCO believes the deployment of a modern information system will reduce the cost, improve the efficiency, reduce trade-related congestion, and enhance security of cross-border and corridor information, trade and traffic.

The NASCO "SuperCorridor Caucus" was formed on Capitol Hill to promote corridor development and to help secure NASCO legislative initiatives in both the authorization and appropriation processes.
We continue to be recognized as the strongest International Trade Corridor Coalition on Capitol Hill, and we are the only Corridor Coalition with true international representation from the three NAFTA nations.

http://www.nascocorridor.com/pages/federal/federal.htm

[lynnertic]

9. That's right. This is all about busting unions!

Kill the teamsters union by letting non-union drivers into the States, and at the same time drive down salaries. It's illegal to try to unionize workers in Mexico.

Then, kill the Longshoremen and hurt California's economy by building a port in Mexico.

So all our cheap Chinese plastic can come to Mexico and be trucked up to your local Wal-Mart without ever touching an American worker's hands. Wal-Mart passes on the savings with *even lower* prices so the out-of-work truckers and dockworkers can still afford toys for their kids for christmas.

[OhioChick]

8. Go Teamsters!

:applause:

K&R