Tex-Mex Combo Proves Unpopular

Tex-Mex Combo Proves Unpopular
August 13, 2008

The American press has been chock full of articles describing the showdown in Congress regarding the upcoming deadline signaling the end of the first, and perhaps only, year of the Mexican truck pilot program. To refresh the memory for those who have bypassed these articles, the program allows specially registered Mexican trucks to travel anywhere in the United States. Prior to this program, trucks from Mexico were limited to a zone approximately 25 miles north of the border. At this point, cargo destined for points in the U.S. would have to be transferred to American trucks for further transport.

Briefly, the program was originally approved during the Clinton administration as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Since the truck program's inception last year, it has faced fierce opposition from a number of sources including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and various American trucking associations. The opposition argued that American drivers would be at risk due to far lower safety standards of Mexican vehicles. Additionally, cheap Mexican labor would put American trucking jobs at risk.

The Bush administration, strongly in favor of extending the program, has maintained that Mexican trucks participating in the program are inspected with greater scrutiny than American vehicles. Also, according to top officials at the Federal Motor Safety Association, the Mexican companies are thoroughly screened prior to being accepted, and their drivers are held to the same standards as U.S. drivers.

The opposition has filed suit in Federal court and is awaiting judgment. Congressional opponents are trying to force an end the program. The Bush Administration is trying to find loopholes that will allow the program to continue.

The central question, though, is who is actually benefiting or suffering from this program.

One year after its inception, only 27 Mexican companies, with 104 trucks, and 10 U.S. companies, with 52 trucks are participating. The program was intended to have the participation of 100 companies per country.

The impact of the program has been marginal. Recently, a couple of participating Texas companies were interviewed. Both admitted that they haven't truly profited from the program, nor would they lose any major investments, were the program to be terminated.

In other words, although there may be noted political gains or losses surrounding the program's continuation or demise, that's where the benefits and damages will end. On the roads, the impact has been negligible and, apparently, so it will remain.

As the saying goes, "the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

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.