Generous Uncle Sam stepped in for the sake of improving air quality on both sides of the border by replacing old mufflers on dozens of Mexican trucks at a cost of $1,600 each. U.S. truck drivers are required to have the type of converters that Mexicans are getting from the government but American truckers must pay for theirs.
Just weeks before the Obama government begins a program that allows Mexican commercial trucks to travel deep into the U.S., the Texas Department of Public Safety reveals that, within the last few years, cargo trucks entering the United States from Mexico had more than 1 million safety violations.
This is hardly earth-shattering news since Mexican trucks have long failed to meet U.S. safety standards. That’s why they aren’t allowed to travel freely throughout the country, but rather in restricted zones within 25 miles of the southern border, according to the non-partisan Judicial Watch.
Even within their limited boundary, they have created a huge risk to Americans’ safety, according to the Transportation Department Inspector General.
"With so much focus in Washington on creating jobs, it's a bit shocking that the administration would pursue a program that can only rob U.S. drivers of their jobs," said Todd Spencer, Executive Vice President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, in a statement.
During the White House meeting between President Barack Obama and Mexico's President Felipe Calderon, during the Spring, much was discussed regarding drug cartels, illegal aliens, green economy and jobs and U.S. foreign aid to Mexico.
However, the U.S.-Mexico trucking agreement that places no limits on the number of Mexican trucks that would be permitted to enter the U.S. was not discussed openly nor did the reporters even broach the subject during a press conference with the two leaders.
Regardless, the Obama Administration carved out a deal to allow Mexican trucks to travel freely on U.S. highways as part of a 17-year-old international trade pact known as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In just a few weeks. Mexican trucks will be allowed to travel into the interior of the United States, even though it could endanger American lives.
The Calderon government has said that a binational commission will be created to track all phases of the new program, designed to end a 20 year trucking dispute between the two North American countries.
In Texas alone, 1.2 million Mexican trucks had safety violations between 2007 and 2011, according to an El Paso Times report that quotes official statistics from state public safety officials. Among the safety violations in trucks coming from Mexico were bad brakes, flat tires, axle problems and defective lights. During that period inspectors placed more than 30,000 trucks and 625 drivers out of service, according to Judicial Watch, a public-interest group that investigates government corruption.
Federal transportation officials argue that, under the new cross-border trucking program, all Mexican vehicles will be thoroughly inspected and all must comply with rigid U.S. safety standards. The Mexican trucks, notorious for their dismal, third-world country safety standards, must also be equipped with electronic monitoring systems to keep track of drivers’ service hours.
Don’t be surprised if U.S. taxpayers get stuck with the tab, claims a Judicial Watch press statement.
"While we appreciate that the administration is proposing to allow Congress and the public to weigh in on a future trucking program with Mexico, they seem to be missing the main issue at hand," continued Spencer. "The onus is upon Mexico to raise their regulatory standards, not on the U.S. to lower ours to accommodate their trucking industry."
In fact, earlier this year the Obama Administration paid to upgrade outdated Mexican trucks that hemorrhage illegal amounts of exhaust when they deliver merchandise near the border.
Generous Uncle Sam stepped in for the sake of improving air quality on both sides of the border by replacing old mufflers on dozens of Mexican trucks at a cost of $1,600 each. U.S. truck drivers are required to have the type of converters that Mexicans are getting from the government but Americans must pay for theirs.
American truckers believe that to ensure the safety and security of U.S. citizens, Mexico-domiciled trucking companies and truck drivers must be required to comply with the same level of safety, security and environmental standards that apply to their U.S.-based companies and drivers, not only while they are operating in the U.S., but also in their home country. To date, Mexico has failed to institute regulations and enforcement programs that are even slightly similar to those in the United States, according to the OOIDA.
"Mexico has been bullying our government into allowing their trucking companies to have full access to highways across the U.S. while refusing to raise regulatory standards in its own trucking industry," Spencer pointed out in a press statement. "Mexico's regulatory standards aren't even remotely equivalent to what we have in the U.S."
"Every year, U.S. truckers are burdened with new safety, security and environmental regulations. Those regulations come with considerable compliance costs," said Spencer. "Mexico-domiciled trucking companies do not contend with a similar regime nor must they contend with the corresponding costs."
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