Comments on: U.S.–Mexico NAFTA Transportation Agreement Imperiled http://www.coha.org/us%e2%80%93mexico-nafta-transportation-agreement-imperiled/ COHA is an NGO specialized in monitoring Latin American and Canadian Relations for more than 30 years... Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:22:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: magyart http://www.coha.org/us%e2%80%93mexico-nafta-transportation-agreement-imperiled/comment-page-1/#comment-26695 magyart Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:14:21 +0000 http://www.coha.org/2008/07/us%e2%80%93mexico-nafta-transportation-agreement-imperiled/#comment-26695 Less than three weeks after the legislation was signed into law, FMCSA published a notice in the Federal Register on June 8 that in effect declared that the agency had met all of the congressionally mandated safety requirements to open the southern border. The report released identified provisions of law that FMCSA has failed to comply with, including: • failure to provide sufficient opportunity for public notice and comments; • failure to provide the public with information about the pilot project; • failure to comply with the requirements of §350 of the FY2002 DOT Appropriations Act on the safety of cross-border trucking; • failure to comply with requirements of the pilot program law to test innovative approaches and alternative regulations under 49 USC §31315(c); • failure of FMCSA to keep its promise to check every truck every time for compliance; and • failure to establish criteria that are subject to monitoring during the pilot program. "The Bush administration and the DOT have failed in all respects to meet congressional requirements to put safety first before forcing open the border to potentially dangerous long-haul trucks," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen and chair of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH). "The agency needs to obey the law and tell Congress how it plans to follow its requirements. The DOT should not implement any cross-border trucking pilot program until it can make the grade. In persisting with its current program, FMCSA is disregarding the will of Congress and the safety of the American people." Opening the border to Mexican trucks will made are roads less safe and endanger the public. It will result in the importation of even more drugs and illegal aliens. Even where we have "check points" at the border, crimminals attempt to bring in drugs and illgal aliens. They same will hold true for large trucks. The drug cartels will simply force Mexican drivers to bring in unwanted cargo. The Mexican govt. doesn't require a program to train and educate its drivers. Nor does it keep track of their driving records or drug offenses. The trucking industry, in Mexico, is simply not as safe as ours and doesn't deserve to travel our highways. Less than three weeks after the legislation was signed into law, FMCSA published a notice in the Federal Register on June 8 that in effect declared that the agency had met all of the congressionally mandated safety requirements to open the southern border.

The report released identified provisions of law that FMCSA has failed to comply with, including:

• failure to provide sufficient opportunity for public notice and comments;
• failure to provide the public with information about the pilot project;
• failure to comply with the requirements of §350 of the FY2002 DOT Appropriations Act on the safety of cross-border trucking;
• failure to comply with requirements of the pilot program law to test innovative approaches and alternative regulations under 49 USC §31315(c);
• failure of FMCSA to keep its promise to check every truck every time for compliance; and
• failure to establish criteria that are subject to monitoring during the pilot program.
“The Bush administration and the DOT have failed in all respects to meet congressional requirements to put safety first before forcing open the border to potentially dangerous long-haul trucks,” said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen and chair of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH).

“The agency needs to obey the law and tell Congress how it plans to follow its requirements. The DOT should not implement any cross-border trucking pilot program until it can make the grade. In persisting with its current program, FMCSA is disregarding the will of Congress and the safety of the American people.”

Opening the border to Mexican trucks will made are roads less safe and endanger the public. It will result in the importation of even more drugs and illegal aliens.

Even where we have “check points” at the border, crimminals attempt to bring in drugs and illgal aliens. They same will hold true for large trucks. The drug cartels will simply force Mexican drivers to bring in unwanted cargo.

The Mexican govt. doesn’t require a program to train and educate its drivers. Nor does it keep track of their driving records or drug offenses.

The trucking industry, in Mexico, is simply not as safe as ours and doesn’t deserve to travel our highways.

]]>