OOIDA copy and paste..
SPECIAL REPORT: Big questions remain on Mexican pilot program
March 8, 2007 – A Congressional hearing today on the proposed Department of Transportation program to grant 100 Mexican-domiciled motor carriers interstate operating authority in the United States raised more questions about the program than it answered.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, called for the hearing on the pilot program in late February, the same day word got out about the program.
And today’s hearing isn’t the end of the scrutiny the program will face. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit announced it will have a hearing on the program next week.
At the hearing before the Senate subcommittee, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator John Hill both told senators their agencies are ready for Mexican trucks to roll. Enforcement is in place; questions are answered. The program is moving ahead.
The glowing reports of readiness were quickly dimmed when opponents of the program testified.
Charlie Parfrey, president of Parfrey Trucking Brokerage in Spokane, WA, testified on behalf of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
Almost immediately, he condemned the “deceitfulness of the DOT,” saying the agency pushed the program through without open, unrestricted review.
In light of the fact the program has not been published in the Federal Register for public view and comment, Parfrey pointed out to Senate subcommittee members that without having had the opportunity to review and analyze specific data, proposals, and agreements, truckers and highway users alike are left with a tremendous number of unanswered questions.
“Their effort has been almost entirely secret and beyond public view or scrutiny. OOIDA firmly believes that DOT has not complied with Section 350 of the 2002 Transportations Appropriations Act,” Parfrey testified.
The cloak of secrecy that has essentially shut out public input and oversight drew speculation from the opponents as to the true intent of the program.
“We view the recently announced pilot program as nothing more than an effort to get a foot in the door for Mexico-domiciled trucks and drivers with the true intent being to swing that door wide open in the near future despite the numerous safety, economic and homeland security issues that remain unresolved,” Parfrey told the senators.
The testimony Parfrey offered on behalf of OOIDA was echoed by Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, in her testimony.
“This pilot program is intended to serve as a showpiece in order to permit the secretary to proclaim victory and declare the entire southern border open to unfettered, long-haul truck commerce before the end of 2008,” Claybrook said.
“This select group of motor carriers most likely will not be representative of all Mexico-domiciled companies, vehicles and drivers that will be allowed across the border once the pilot program is completed and prematurely declared a ‘success.’ ”
Jim Hoffa, president of the Teamsters, joined in the chorus of opposition.
“My guess is that the DOT will select the ‘cream of the crop’ of Mexican carriers, whether they be large or small, to slant the data on violations, crashes and other compliance issues and proclaim the program successful – wherein, it will announce a full-blown opening of the border at the end of the one-year period.”
In granting authority under the program, the DOT must rely heavily on Mexican data and procedures. That isn’t sitting well with opponents of the program.
“U.S. truckers must operate under a tremendous amount of scrutiny and an ever increasing number of stringent safety regulations. Such burdens are, by all available accounts, nonexistent for truck drivers and trucking companies in Mexico,” Parfrey testified.
“U.S. drivers are outraged to think that their government would accept a lower standard for Mexico-domiciled trucks and drivers. Specific examples include DOT accepting the Mexican commercial driver’s license, drug and alcohol testing program, and physical qualification and examination standards as being equivalent to U.S. regulations.”
Hoffa testified that the DOT has “laid out an impressive public relations campaign” to assure the American public that Mexican truck drivers will meet U.S. safety standards.
“There will be no meeting of those requirements,” he said. “I am convinced that neither the U.S. nor the Mexican governments have the resources to carry out an aggressive oversight and xican-domiciled carriers would face once operating in the U.S.Many of the opponents were critical of the DOT assessment that the enforcement community is up to the challenge of enforcing U.S. regulations – such as cabotage – on Mexican-domiciled trucks.ther or not Mexican trucks and drivers can meet our safety standards is the Mexican government’s responsibility. Whether only those trucks that comply with our regulations are allowed to operate in the United States is our government’s responsibility, and it is one that OOIDA believes we are not prepared to take on,” Parfrey testified.
“To allow Mexican trucks to have full rein of our country’s highways now would be unfair to American truckers who spend many hours and thousands of dollars a year complying with our tougher rules.”
Claybrook took the enforcement issue – or lack thereof – all the way to the federal level.
“The (FMCSA) has never met any of its safety goals even after weakening them repeatedly,” she said. “(It) has had nearly everyone of its safety regulations unanimously overturned by the courts, has ignored congressional direction to advance and improve highway safety and completely ignores its statutory mandate to make safety its highest priority,” she said.
Another point of contention raised not only by panelists, but members of the subcommittee is the fact that U.S. trucks will not be allowed into Mexico for several months after Mexican-domiciled carriers are granted access to the U.S.
Chairwoman Murray questioned Secretary Peters on why the program was going forward without the U.S. carriers being afforded the same opportunities as Mexican carriers.
Peters said with the recent change in leadership in Mexico that the Mexican government was not ready with its program – but that she was assured they were working on it and it would be coming soon.
Murray didn’t seem satisfied with accepting the word of Mexican government officials and not waiting for a level playing field for truckers on both sides of the border before starting the pilot program.
– By Jami Jones, senior editor
[email protected]
I dont hear anything about how rates will be affected by this BS..
We are selling this country left and right man, it doesnt look good for my kinds future i tell you that..
Mexicans..
