WASHINGTON — The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to delay a Bush
administration plan to allow Mexican trucks full access to U.S.
highways.

The trucks would have to be declared safe first, the lawmakers said, and
Mexico would have to give U.S. truckers the same access south of the
border.

The House voted 411-3 to approve a three-year Department of
Transportation pilot program that would restrict opening the border to
100 carriers based in Mexico. They would be allowed to use a maximum of
1,000 vehicles under the pilot program.

The Bush administration wanted to start a pilot program this year that
would run for a year before fully opening the border to Mexican trucks.

The House bill, however, specifies criteria for the pilot program before
it can start, including setting up an independent panel to evaluate the
test program and getting certification from the inspector general that
safety and inspection requirements have been met.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007May15/0,4670,MexicanTrucks,00.html

i heard about this on lou dobbs. will they be checked like american
trucks.

This program would be very bad for American truckers.

I have also heard the argument that they may purchase their fuel only in
Mexico. With the large tanks and long range they could return to their
country before ever buying fuel.

Here large amounts of fuel tax is used to pay for road improvement and
repair. If they purchase fuel out of the country they ride the roads for
free, causing wear that American truckers have to pay for.

There are inspection issues, wage issues, road use issues, safety issues
(our drivers carry logs of their hours and in Mexico it is not required)
and nobody is saying much about the smuggling issues in this discussion.

Our truckers are able to earn a decent living, but none are getting rich
on their occupation. Owner operators have some additional earnings
capability but it is still not huge. I am against putting pressure on
their wages by letting foreigners come and take their work for extremely
low rates.

It's another program to put downward pressure on American wages in my
opinion.

I'm with you philosopher...just another attack on the middle class...

I should have posted more from this article. The vote was to reverse a
one year plan that President Bush had, and put restrictions on it that
were not there. The new bill would require a 3 year pilot program, and
require Mexican Trucking companies to first meet requirements that
American Trucking Companies must meet. This will require their Trucking
Companies to spend billions of Dollars upgrading their Vehicles, and
their drivers will have to meet DOT testing requirements that American
Drivers are required to meet. This is a complete reversal of Bush's plan
of one year and no safety or testing. The Mexican Government is already
crying foul, because of the cost to them in meeting these requirements.
Claiming it violates the NAFTA free trade Treaty, and requires measures
they will most likely be unable to meet.
This is not the best of news but it is a small victory. Like the article
later says:

The Teamsters, the Sierra Club, Public Citizen and the Environmental Law
Foundation sued in federal court in April to block the pilot program,
citing safety and environmental concerns.

"We don't know how safety laws such as hours of service and drug testing
would be enforced," Teamsters President Jim Hoffa said. "This vote by
the House repudiates those questionable attempts to open our borders
without adequate safeguards."

Bush's plan was blocked and the Teamsters are still fighting the program
of allowing the plan to happen altogether. It appears without our help
they are winning a small victory. Imagine if we email our concerns to
match theirs what might be possible. It is an interesting article and I
recommend reading the entire text for your self.

Mexican trucks? What the heck! First we have to deal with the Japanese
trucks flooding our market, then the Yugo, which wasn't technically a
truck, followed by the Korean KIA? wHAt tHe heCk iS.... cRAP! theRe's
tHat stICKInG cAps lOck AGain.

That was a pretty good laugh Zap.