Should Trucks from Mexico be allowed in the United States?
Should Trucks from Mexico be allowed in the United States?
The issue of trucks from Mexico being allowed to enter the United States is one that comes with plenty of controversy attached to it. The volumes of letters that various political offices have received from truck drivers and business owners in the trucking company indicate that this is not a welcomed change in the field of the trucking industry. Many are afraid it will compromise the contracts they have in place as the workers from Mexico will be willing to haul the loads for a lower price.
Even with such resistance, a pilot program was allowed to move forward in September of 2007. This allowed an initial 859 carriers from Mexico to begin entering the United States for work. This project is being monitored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It is not known if the program will be able to continue as there is already a motion on the floor of the United States legislation to bring it to a halt.
The biggest complaints from regular citizens seem to be with the concern that they don’t believe trucks coming from Mexico will be safe. Under the initial pilot program agreements, all of the drivers must be able to read and write English at an acceptable level. This way they can safely navigate with the road signs, talk to law enforcement, and complete necessary paperwork.
There are no restrictions on the products that the trucks from Mexico can bring into the United States or take back to Mexico. Many are concerned that this allows them to haul hazardous materials. They also worry about the possibility of more semi trucks being used for drug trafficking purposes under such an agreement. Many people believe it is not safe to have individuals from other countries coming into the United States with the ability to haul dangerous materials. With the risk of terrorist attacks being possible with the use of such products on semi trucks it is definitely something to think about.
Yet there are some positive attributes to the thought of allowing trucks from Mexico into the United States. There is a shortage of qualified truck drivers to keep up with the demand for the amount of freight to be hauled. With the new hours of service laws, it is taking even longer for the work to be completed. With the additional trucks it is hopeful that it will help the overall industry.
Under the outlined plans only a specific number of trucks would be allowed to enter the United States from Mexico. It wouldn’t be an open door policy as many in the trucking industry have been lead to believe. The qualifications of the drivers will be carefully reviewed and the trucks will have to meet inspection requirements for the United States before they can enter.
In addition, the trucks are to be inspected by their independent carriers every 90 days. This is to be in effect for the first three years of the program. At the border there will be scales and inspectors as well. They will work for the United States and they will have the authority to deny any truck coming from Mexico access into the United States.
They also have the authority to inspect the qualifications of the driver of the vehicle. There will be an electronic monitoring system in place to check licensing requirements. This process is expected to introduce 200 new jobs by the end of 2007. It is believed it will be virtually impossible to fake the credentials to drive a semi truck into the United States with the electronic process in place.
It is also believed that this agreement with Mexico could result in trucks from the United States being able to freely travel into Mexico. This could generate millions of dollars in revenue due to the fact that it would allow the border to become an area of free trade. This is likely to be a controversial issue that continues in the political arena for quite some time.
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