Doubt Cast Over Mexican Truckers' English Proficiency

Doubt Cast over Mexican Truckers’ English Proficiency
Friday, April 04, 2008

Mexican truck drivers, traveling throughout the United States under the patronage of a pilot program created to test how safe Mexican trucks are on U.S. roads, are required by law to demonstrate their English-language proficiency. However, according to a testimony on March 11th at a Senate hearing, U.S. Department of Transportation regulations allow those drivers to answer questions in any language other than English when proving they recognize U.S. highway signs.

Senator Bryan Dorgan, who has always been an opponent of the program, has expressed his concern over such a clear disparity between the legal requirement and that particular regulation, arguing that the Mexican truckers’ English proficiency is an integral component of the safety issue. In addition, he has accused the Bush administration of not requiring Mexican truck drivers to meet the same level of safety standards that U.S. truck drivers meet. Chairing the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, which was called to examine the six-month-old pilot program, Dorgan demanded an explanation from Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

Peters admitted that during border inspections Mexican truck drivers are allowed to use any language that a U.S. inspector understands when answering questions to prove they recognize U.S. signs. However, she proceeded that inspectors determine the drivers’ English proficiency through other questions, such as asking them their names, what their trucks are carrying, and where they are going.

The Transportation Department's inspector general Calvin L. Scovel III told the panel that the road-sign test is only one factor that inspectors take into account while determining the Mexican truck drivers’ English-language proficiency. However, he acknowledged in an issued assessment report that the pilot program still suffers from some serious defects.

William Quade, associate administrator at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said after the hearing that inspectors normally wait until Mexican truck drivers have demonstrated their English-language proficiency before they begin to ask them to identify signs. He adds that once the Mexican drivers’ English proficiency has been proven, the inspection needs to be carried on in any language that inspectors and drivers understand.

While opponents of the program have sought to shut it down through legislation and litigation, U.S. transportation officials state that a comprehensive inspection process confirms that Mexican trucks allowed in the program are just as safe as American trucks.

The Bush administration regards the program as a step forward toward more north-south trade between the U.S. and Mexico, a trade which would benefit the economies of both countries.

New Transportation Infrastructure Improvement Plan Proposed

New Transportation Infrastructure Improvement Plan Proposed
March 13, 2008

New York State’s Department of Transportation is offering $175 Billion improvement plan for updating and repairing its transportation infrastructure. With the deterioration of New York’s roads, bridges, railroads, and ports threatening many businesses that rely on them, this much-needed transportation infrastructure improvement plan is deemed essential for the state’s long-term economic prosperity and well-being.

Tioga Hardwoods Inc., operating in Owego and Berkshire, uses trucks to transport wood from and to sawmills, averaging 250 truck loads per month. After drying and separating wood, the company eventually sells it. President and co-owner of Tioga Hardwoods Inc., Kevin Gillette, said that reliable transportation is crucial for his business to survive. Transportation is also a hot topic among companies that are planning a move to the region.

Addressing this issue, Kendra L. Adams, Deputy Director of the New York State Motor Truck Association, confirmed that updating and repairing the state’s transportation is of high priority. Trucking is a big business in New York - more than 37,134 trucking companies are operating from New York - and transported goods need to arrive on a timely manner or else the jobs of 516,500 employees of the trucking industry will be jeopardized. With roads becoming more and more congested, timely deliveries have been unduly hindered and this has cost the trucking industry a lot of money. As nearly 2,950 bridges will become deficient in the 10 years to come, highway funding is now of key importance to the industry.

Kevin Gillette stated that faster rail service can be a feasible option for his company if only train speed improves. Bruce Lieberman, president of Railroads of New York and chairman of New York and Atlantic Railway, said that about 1.2 billion tons of goods, including agricultural grains, wood, paper, steel, stone, and chemicals, were transported via New York railroad services in 2006. Many tracks within the state are old and congested, and with the number of goods in need of transporting expected to increase by 70% in the next 15 to 20 years, the rail option has emerged as a necessity. Lieberman said that a five-year plan has been laid out by his organization demanding railroad yard expansions to allow more goods to be hauled in addition to repairing and upgrading already existing tracks.

Air travel is also a sought-after aspect of transportation and option for hauling goods. According to Douglas Barton, Tioga County Department of Economic Development and Planning Director, although the Greater Binghamton Airport has undergone some improvements, it hasn’t been the focus of attention as of late. Nowadays, having access to air travel is as important to business as was having access to highways in the past.

Repairing and upgrading New York’s transportation items need both time and funding. The Department of Transportation is estimating that the transportation infrastructure improvement plan will take 20 years and $175.2 billion dollars to be completed. The Department of Transportation commissioner Astrid C. Glynn said that the federal government will need to provide a major amount of the funding. Once Congress renews its Federal Surface Transportation Act in 2009, the State of New York needs to seek the authorized funds in the legislation to provide the adequate funding needed for this plan. The Department of Transportation also scheduled public conferences throughout the state in order to enlighten the public about freight transportation.

The Department of Transportation’s plan needs to be carried out as soon as possible. Glynn said with an annual inflation rate of 9.2% on construction costs, a prolonged duration between planning and implementation can cause severe loss of value for the dollar and catastrophic consequences on the plan’s finances. Glynn added that any federal funding New York’s Department of Transportation receives will have to be distributed geographically. Subsequently, with a range of proposed projects all over the state, projects must be prioritized in terms of importance.