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by allikatzpop on September 12th, 2007

allikatzpop

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Is it a good idea to allow mexican trucks unlimited access to american roads?

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Answers. 4 helpful answers below.

  • by GingerL on February 5th, 2008

    GingerL

    It's a common knee jerk reaction to assume that Mexican trucks are unsafe. It's also a common knee jerk reaction to assume that they are. It all depends on which side of the issue you stand on.

    Of course, those of us who oppose this program are immediately attacked as racists regardless of our reasons for such opposition.

    I'll tell you why I am against the Mexican truck program, and you can call me racist if you want. I assure you however, that my reasoning is not the least bit racial.

    One of the reasons I'm against the program is that the Mexican carriers DO NOT have to follow our Hours of Service rules. While I highly doubt that will lead to any less safe operations than US drivers, I do find it to be an unfair advantage for the Mexican carriers. On top of that, we already have a huge issue with cabotage (point to point hauling within the US, which is not supposed to be allowed) with Canadian carriers. (I'm sure US carriers also do this in Canada, too.) If we cannot enforce our own rules there, we can never hope to enforce them with an added influx of foreign carriers.

    Additionally, the bureaucratic reporting systems within both the US and Mexico do not mesh. Reporting for suspended licenses, driver and vehicle violations, etc. is already challenged enough within the US without adding yet another strain to the system.

    The huge difference in the value of currency between the countries is another huge problem that again puts our own drivers at a disadvantage. Drivers for Mexican carriers can work for significantly less money than American drivers in order to maintain similar lifestyles. This is, in effect, a continuation of the outsourcing that has already terribly wounded our country. The first Mexican driver to carry a load across the border destined for the interior of the US made a whopping 13 cents a mile. An American driver, working under already sadly depressed driver's wages, would have made at least 34 cents a mile for a similar trip.

    The biggest reason I'm against the cross-border program, however, is that we simply do not have the demand for additional drivers within this country. Despite all the published bullhockey propaganda that points to a truck driver shortage within the US, the trucking industry is actually extremely overpopulated with drivers as it is. In this hyper-competitive market, wages are insanely low (truckers are not covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act) and drivers' time is treated as worthless. Until drivers are no longer spending 40-70 uncompensated hours a week waiting at loading docks, the trucking industry really does not need more drivers. (And yes, low freight rates are good for so many people, including major carriers, that you'll only hear this gem from a few people. Yes, we are probably called plenty of names, but Economics 101 actually says we are right.)

    Since American drivers originally carried cross-border freight from the commercial zone to the interior US, those jobs will be displaced by the less expensive Mexican Carriers. Those displaced American drivers will attempt to salvage their investment in career or equipment by moving to other segments of the industry, which already suffer from surplus labor.

    In the end, opposition to this program is not about race, or even safety, rather, it's about preserving just one more occupation that's headed for outsourcing (or insourcing as the case may be) and saving an industry already on the brink of collapse.

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  • by buster on October 24th, 2007

    buster

    No, the majority of the trucks are unsafe, not to mention the drivers are not tested like US tuck drivers.

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  • by Chaysgirl24 on September 12th, 2007

    Chaysgirl24

    LOL Probably not...especially if they are supposed to go across the boarder!

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  • by MARCOSC2N on February 4th, 2008

    MARCOSC2N

    SURE WHY NOT??????? AS LONG AS THEY HAVE ALL THERE PAPER WORK AND LICENSE TO DRIVE 18 WHEELERS. I DONT SEE ANY HARM, UNLESS UR RACIST AND UR JUST TRYING TO PUT MEXICAN DOWN. THATS A DIFFERENT STORY.COMON DONT START WITH UR MEXICAN DESCRIMINATION.

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