U.S. CONGRESS TURNS MEXICAN TRUCK ACCESS INTO SAFETY ISSUE

U.S. CONGRESS TURNS MEXICAN TRUCK ACCESS INTO SAFETY ISSUE

   U.S. Congress is becoming increasingly concerned that the Bush Administration’s commitment to open U.S. markets to Mexican trucking operations by the beginning of next year will pose a safety hazard on U.S. highways.

   Bush pledged to open U.S. markets after an arbitration panel connected with the North American Free Trade Agreement ruled that the United States was in violation of NAFTA by keeping U.S. markets closed to Mexican trucks.

   Recent developments on Capitol Hill show that both the House and Senate are treating the Mexican trucking question primarily as a safety rather than a trade issue.

   In the Senate, the Appropriations Committee inserted provisions in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s appropriations bill holding Mexican trucks to more stringent safety standards than either U.S. or Canadian trucks.

   Under the bill, Mexican trucking firms would have to obtain safety certification from U.S. safety inspectors before accessing U.S. highways, and also be subject to U.S. inspections at their home bases in Mexico.

   In the House, members of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hammered away at potential safety problems at a July 18 hearing.

   Rep. Jack Quinn, R-N.Y., chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads reflected the general feeling of House members who fear that Mexican trucks will pose safety problems in the United States.

   “The presence of Mexican trucks operating in the United States is not a free trade issue — it is a safety issue,” Quinn said.

   In the private sector, the safety issue is being spearheaded by the Teamsters Union.

   However, opening up the borders enjoys widespread support in the U.S. business sectors, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Trucking Association.

   “The United States promised under NAFTA to open its border to Mexican trucks and it’s time we kept our word,” said U.S. Chamber of Commerce president Thomas Donohue. “Congestion, air pollution and higher consumer prices are the upshot of our current system.”

   Under the current system, Mexican trucks are confined to small “commercial zones” along the U.S. border.

   Under NAFTA, trade with Mexico has climbed from $81 billion in 1993, to $246 billion in 2000, Donohue said. “Trucking is vital to this trade partnership since trucks move more than 80 percent of the value of our trade with Mexico.”

   “Most objections to this trade agreement and its provisions are merely political favoritism, between the previous administration and the Teamsters union,” Donohue said.

   U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta pledged to work with Congress to ensure Mexican trucks will meet the same safety standards that apply to both U.S. and Canadian trucks. “Nothing less than this is acceptable.”

   Ambassador Peter F. Allgeier, the Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, warned the U.S.'s failure to comply with NAFTA’s cross-border trading provisions could lead Mexico to withdraw trade concessions made to the United States under NAFTA.

   Mexico has replaced Japan as the nation’s second-largest trading partner, exceeded only by Canada, Allgeier said.