mexican trucks in america are a fact.

[Jack_Berry]

from the bbc



The US and Mexico have reached a proposed deal to open US highways to Mexican trucks, raising hopes of an end to a 20-year dispute. US President Barack Obama said the nations had "found a clear path to resolving" the roadblock in relations.
In a news conference with Mexico's Felipe Calderon, Mr Obama said the plan would now be taken to Congress.
Mr Calderon's two-day visit to Washington comes amid increasing tensions between the two nations.
The announcement of the trucking deal comes roughly two weeks after the killing of a US agent in Mexico and leaked US criticism of Mexico's war on drugs, both of which have worked to degrade a relationship between the nations that had until recently seen improvement in the past several years.
Trucking deal US and Mexican trucks were previously authorised to cross their shared border under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, but the US has refused to allow Mexican trucks access amid concerns over their ability to meet US safety and environmental standards.
Mr Calderon's government last year retaliated with tariffs on a number of US goods after US lawmakers cancelled funding for a pilot program that allowed long-haul Mexican trucks to circulate in the US.
Mr Obama also announced that the US would soon look to "develop new sources of energy in the Gulf of Mexico" with the help of the Mexican government.
And he went on to praise Mr Calderon for his "extraordinary courage" in fighting drug cartels and cracking down on violence near their shared border.
He added that the US planned to send equipment to Mexico and train officials in the country to help in the efforts to combat violence.
Mr Calderon met US business leaders on Wednesday evening, with discussions focussing on opportunities for foreign investment in Mexico.
Mr Calderon is also expected to speak to House Speaker John Boehner before leaving the US capitol about the $1.3bn (£799m) the US is spending as part of the Merida Agreement, which provides materials and training to help Mexico tackle drug-trafficking

 

[greg334]

They have been fact for a long time. I don't see it as a big deal or affecting my bottom line. We have other things to worry about in this industry than a few Mexican drivers on this side of the border.

 

[jelliott]

Unless the security situation improves greatly, I see it as a disadvantage for the American worker. Would you want to drive over into Mexico?

 

[Turtle]

Some people will of course want to blame Obama for this. But do keep in mind that the NAFTA agreement among Canada, the United States, and Mexico, was signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1992. It still had to be approved by Congress, however, and that wasn't a foregone conclusion. Despite the high-level support in both Democrats and Republicans, it was a tough battle. In 1993 President Clinton rallied the troops and mustered all the political clout he could to push the measure through Congress, using such things as (no less than 37) special side deals and pork barrel projects to buy passage of the trade agreement. The president's political victory in the House of Representatives came by a 234 to 200 vote. Since then Bush II, and now Obama, have both vigorously pursued not only the cross-border trucking issues, but several other sticking points within the agreement.

What cracks me up, as John eluded to, is how they try and pass it off as being able to deliver into Mexico as being a good thing, an exciting thing, as something US truckers would want to do. Most US truckers don't even want to go to Canada, and they're nice up there. Mexico? No thanks. The only US truckers who will want to go to Mexico are the US truckers who are from Mexico.

 

[LDB]

I will be continuing to call my Congressman and Senators to push them to do anything possible to prohibit this. Everyone should be doing the same. While Mexican trucks may not affect expediting significantly they will affect general trucking and harm an already fragile employment situation. It is a bad thing and shouldn't happen.

 

[DannyD]

I don't like it. Then again, when did anything an American citizen wanted matter to Washington?

 

[greg334]

Outside of union based rhetoric and some of the 'right wing' trucking blogs, not one thing has been actually talked about a real impact to the industry AND my bottom line. Most of the stuff, from uneducated people driving screwed up trucks to the price of fuel has been regurgitated so much that many in the public don't really care.

 

[chefdennis]

So you will have no problem delivering down to the auto plants in Hermosillo huh Greg??

But beyond that, as long as it doesn't affect YOUR buttom line, its all good...no big deal that i might the industry as a whole...hell it might not even affect or little "niche" in the industry....wonder how many border town expedite van or ST loads will get loaded into Mexican TT's and go straight through???

Greg wrote:

I don't see it as a big deal or affecting my bottom line.

 

[greg334]

Opps

Let me edit this ...

Why shouldn't I?

 

[chefdennis]

I didn't ask if you "should or shouldn't",,I asked if you would have a problem with goin there...

 

[greg334]

Well you haven't given me a good enough reason why I shouldn't.

 

[asjssl]

Those Mexican drivers will drive a hell of alot cheaper than us...I can see this becoming a real.problem like Dennis said......they will load em up In Mexico and take em due north..... bet u will start see the # of loads coming out of border downs drop .....

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

 

[chefdennis]

Oh dang,, yea no one should worry about there personal safety or the risk of losing their equipment when going down there... I vaguely remember you saying the kids that were killed down there not to long ago while looking at cars on a car lot shouldn't have been there since we all know of the dangers there...

 

[greg334]

Those Mexican drivers will drive a hell of alot cheaper than us...

But where's the proof? I keep hearing this but I don't see it happening.

I can tell you that the ones I met a few years back were paid better than I was and they spoke good english and drove better trucks than I see around here. They were working from San Diego up to San Joaquin Valley hauling all kinds of freight out of the enterprise zone in San Diego.

 

[greg334]

Oh dang,, yea no one should worry about there personal safety or the risk of losing their equipment when going down there... I vaguely remember you saying the kids that were killed down there not to long ago while looking at cars on a car lot shouldn't have been there since we all know of the dangers there...

I didn't say I didn't worry, I asked you to give me a reason why I shouldn't.

Beside who said I was going to go there and what does it have to do with the Mexican drivers coming up here?

 

[chefdennis]

lol the excuse that US drivers can now go down there is given as the reason they should be here....

greg wrote:

I can tell you that the ones I met a few years back were paid better than I was and they spoke good english and drove better trucks than I see around here. They were working from San Diego up to San Joaquin Valley hauling all kinds of freight out of the enterprise zone in San Diego.

LOL.. we ahould have known that you would have a connecton with mexican driver that would allow you personally refute anything that is said on this topic...typial of most things talked about here...

 

[golfournut]

Unless the security situation improves greatly, I see it as a disadvantage for the American worker. Would you want to drive over into Mexico?

Loose your head, get shot or kidnapped. Not for me.


Your best bet, hire a vet! Please.

 

[greg334]

Chef,

There is so much bullsh*t about this subject and the truth is lost among the worries caused by the propaganda that has been put out there by the media and these stupid blogs which just repeat the same old crap about the subject.

The fact seems to be;

1 - much of this is written by people who never seem to come up with credible sources in their articles or their little podcasts. This information all seems to be coming from the same source - the teamsters.

2 - a lot of what is being said was said 10 years ago and not much has changed since - actually nothing has.

3 - the teamsters seem to be the one leading the fight against it, this is because they are not allowed to organize the Mexican trucker because of Mexican laws. Which you can see it from their position that they want to open up the border and legalize invaders in order to unionize them.

4 - this industry suffers more from internal issues than any external issue that can ever impact it - outside of fuel. Much of what impacts this industry is the lack of political cohesion and more or less a selfishness that prevails above everything else. IF many can get over that, then fighting things that actually matter will become easy.

5 - Regardless how anyone can prove the numbers, it won't impact me or for that matter any one else here. We are in a different part of the market and serve different type of customers. We don't have the Best Buys, the Whirlpool, or GE freight to worry about, and we don't do the Avocado/tomato stuff either.

Oh and we have had Mexican drivers here for the last 15 or 20 years.

 

[chefdennis]

Originally Posted by jelliott

Unless the security situation improves greatly, I see it as a disadvantage for the American worker. Would you want to drive over into Mexico?

Golf wrote:

Loose your head, get shot or kidnapped. Not for me.

Thats craziness , look at the thread above this one....

 

[golfournut]

In the mid 90s, being from Austin, I used to take a empty trailer every day Mon thru Fri to Laredo drop it and hook up to a loaded trailer of picture frames and take them to Taylor Texas. When they were building the chicken coup on 35 just north of Laredo, I would stop and chat with them. The story I got then was it was being built to send a message to the Mexican trucking companies to have their vehicles in compliance with US safety laws. I was told by a state offical over seeing the job that is was a big screw up. At that time they were being naive thinking this would send a clear msg, the problem at that time of construction he thought, the impound yard was no where big enough. The idea was then to just turn them around and head them back south. Now we will se how that will play out.

Your best bet, hire a vet! Please.