Mexico-U .S. trucking pact extended
Posted on Tuesday, August 5, 2008
WASHINGTON — A program allowing Mexican trucks unrestricted access to U. S. highways near the border with Mexico has been extended for two years, despite numerous attempts by Congress to quash it.
The so-called Cross-Border Trucking Demonstration Project came under fire on Capitol Hill in January, as lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to stop the government from spending any money to establish it.
Provisions for cross-border trucking were part of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration administrator John H. Hill said participation in the program has been light. To date, only 10 U. S. companies have chosen to take part in the program, running 55 trucks south of the border. Only 27 Mexican companies have joined in, operating 107 trucks in the United States. The program’s terms permit up to 500 trucks from 100 Mexican motor carriers full access to U. S. roads.
“A number of potential companies have been unwilling to invest the time and resources necessary to participate due to uncertainties concerning the project’s longevity,” Hill said in a statement.
Hill said the project saves consumers money and cuts shipping costs.
Arkansas is seeing little impact from the program according to a state trucking group.
“We’ve had very few, if any, calls or complaints about the pilot project,” Lane Kidd, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, said Monday. The association represents about 246 trucking companies. “As long as these companies are forced to pay the same taxes and fees as the U. S. carrier, the pilot program will have a negligible effect on the economy here.”
The Arkansas Highway Police permits department said the number of carriers from Mexico traveling through Arkansas has been minimal. Out-of-state carriers are required to buy a trip permit to cover any costs associated with registration fees and other taxes.
Trip permits cost $ 33 and are good for three days, according to the TruckersPlace Web site.
An exact number of trip permits issued was not available late Monday afternoon.
“Very few Mexican trucks have come through Arkansas with this program or in years past, ’’ David Nellis, a spokesman with the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, wrote in an e-mail.
Some U. S. trucking companies, meanwhile, argue that the agreement erodes their business by allowing Mexican truckers, who can operate more cheaply, to run similar routes. Some also worry the program will mean the loss of U. S. trucking jobs.
“ The [Bush ] administration has shown time and again that when it comes to this program they are willing to run roughshod over Congress and the American public,” Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said in a news release Monday. “Announcing this on the first day of the recess is unfortunately par for the course with them. Sorry for the cliche, but it’s ‘Bush league’ tactics.”
The Grain Valley, Mo.-based group said the pilot program does not comply with U. S. safety and security laws and regulations. The association represents about 161, 000 members in the United States and Canada.
The Federal Motor Carriers ’ Hill said he hopes the extension will be enough to quell truckers ’ fears and stir more interest in the program. But some legislators say they will keep fighting the program every step of the way.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N. D., called the extension a “reckless arrogance for the law” by the Bush administration.
“This dispute is about the administration’s effort to allow long haul Mexican trucks into this country in a way that I believe compromises safety on American roads,” Dorgan said in a statement. “We should not allow this program to continue.”
Hill insisted that the program has followed all laws and gone above and beyond the government’s requirements.
“To date, the project has shown that U. S. and Mexican carriers can engage in cross-border trucking operations in compliance with applicable laws and with no compromise to public safety or security,” he said.
Rep. James L. Oberstar, DMinn., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, also suggested Transportation Department officials were trying to “flout the will of Congress” and said he intends to push a bill to shut down the program once Congress returns from recess in September. Information for this article was contributed by Laurie Whalen of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
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