Expanded Mexican Truck Pilot Program begins

[WhiskeyGirl]

OOIDA files suit to halt Mexican truck pilot program
July 09, 2011 | Penton Business Media

Within hours of the announcement that the U.S. and Mexico had officially signed an agreement for a  new cross-border trucking pilot program, opponents of the deal fired back, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn. (OOIDA), which filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington D.C. Circuit seeking to halt the program.

OOIDA is asking the court to “enjoin, set-aside, suspend (in whole or in part) or determine the validity of the implementation of this program.” Filed by the Cullen Law Firm of Washington, DC, on behalf of OOIDA, the petition states that the “implementation of the pilot program is arbitrary, capricious, and abuse of discretion, and otherwise not in accordance with law.”

The agreement includes a stipulation that Mexican carriers install electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) on trucks that will enter the U.S. The EOBRs would be paid for by the U.S. government.

...

“As we debate deep and harsh cuts to programs that help middle class families, it is outrageous that taxpayers are being told to foot the bill for the Mexican trucking industry to comply with American safety standards,” DeFazio said. “My bill would stop the Dept. of Transportation from raiding the Highway Trust Fund to pay for equipment on Mexican trucks. Let the Mexican government or the Mexican carriers pay for their equipment and let’s use U.S. gas tax revenue for its intended purpose of putting Americans to work rebuilding our roads and bridges.”

Teamsters general president Jim Hoffa said the program is “probably illegal” because Congress has not granted DOT the authority to grant permanent operating authority to Mexican trucks, which would occur following 18 months after the pilot program, he said. In addition, Hoffa questioned whether money from the Highway Trust Fund could be used to pay for electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) for the Mexican trucks legally.

How much of the money set aside for our crumbling infrastructure is being used to further Mexican profits?

“Opening the border to dangerous trucks at a time of high unemployment and rampant drug violence is a shameful abandonment of the DOT’s duty to protect American citizens from harm and to spend American tax dollars responsibly,” Hoffa stated.

“It adds insult to injury to force U.S. taxpayers to pay for monitoring equipment on Mexican trucks so Mexican carriers can take away their jobs,” he added. “The DOT shows more loyalty to the Mexican people than it does to Americans.”

This is as insulting as Janet's DHS giving away rent money instead of protecting the border, and ensuring the safety of all Americans.

“Mexican trucks simply don’t meet the same standards as U.S. trucks,” Hoffa argued. “Medical and physical standards for Mexican trucking firms are lower than for U.S. companies. And how can Mexico enforce highway safety laws when it can’t even control drug cartels?”

Anyone feel safer yet?  I wonder if those trucking firms will set up their own refueling places and use cheaper imported Mexican diesel?  Avoid the taxation and fees?

read  more here - http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=268208

[WhiskeyGirl]

The Teamsters backed Reagan against the radical leftist Carter. The Teamsters were the most vocal of the Reagan Democrats. Of course, in those days the union had leaders with balls. These were men who actually drove trucks and understood how the economy works.

Mr. Williams didn't look down on the membership. He came from their ranks. He knew the membership was smart enough to know that their standard of living depended on a thriving private sector and not on an ever expanding and ever more intrusive government.

Obama, Biden and James Hoffa may think they can fool the poor dumb truck drivers into thinking it is in their interest to vote for an administration that is destroying American jobs, but I tend to doubt it. I also doubt that the drivers will vote for an administration that doubled the price of fuel, and is raiding the Highway Trust Fund to pay to replace the mufflers on Mexican trucks with catalytic converters. I also doubt that the drivers will forget that this administration is using tax money to pay to equip Mexican trucks with electronic on-board recorders (EOBR).

read more here - http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0711/0711obamateamsters.htm