"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain
WASHINGTON, DC (NS/OOIDA) - The Bush Administration can now allow tens of
thousands of Mexican trucks on U.S. highways without conducting an extensive
study of the environmental effects, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled.
The justices unanimously overturned a U.S. appeals court ruling that federal
environmental law required the U.S. Department of Transportation to study
the impact from the trucks on air quality.
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said the administration would move
forward with the initiative. This means you can expect to see LOTS of 'rate
cutting' Mexican Trucks on United States highways, SOON. Don't forget the
American jobs that go back South with them...
"We are committed to a comprehensive approach to guarantee that trucks and
buses operating within the United States are in compliance with all
applicable safety and environmental standards," he said in a statement.
President Bush said in November 2002 that Mexican trucks should be allowed
on roads throughout the country, which would bring the United States in
compliance with a key provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement,
otherwise known as NAFTA. I say, leave them AT the Border!
The move was aimed at ending a 1982 moratorium, under which Mexican trucks
have been able to operate only in certain narrow commercial border zones,
where goods must be transferred to U.S. trucks for transport across the
nation.
Environmental, labor, consumer and trucking groups sued. The current Mexican
rules applying to Commercial Truck Drivers and their equipment do NOT even
come 'close' to the ones we have in the United States. MOST of them can NOT
comply with our American rules...
They said the Transportation Department had underestimated the impact 'older
diesel Mexican trucks would have on air quality in border states,
especially in cities like Houston and Los Angeles that have struggled to
reduce pollution to comply with the federal clean air law.
The Transportation Department did an initial environmental review and
decided an extensive study was not required.
This even though ANYONE who has seen an older Mexican Truck has also seen
the thicker black smoke that American Trucks are NOT allowed to emit anymore
under our 'Clean Air Laws'.
Mexico said the ruling would not end the dispute because U.S. rules still
discriminate against Mexican trucks. This is only because MOST of the
Mexican Drivers and their Trucks can NOT pass a CVSA Safety Inspection,
which is REQUIRED on ALL Commercial Trucks operating on our Nation's
highways. Let's not forget about Section 391.11 of our own FMCSA Drivers
Qualifications Rule Book that say a Driver "must be able to read, speak and
write English" to be able to qualify to DRIVE a Commercial Motor vehicle...
"This decision by the Supreme Court only resolves an internal conflict in
the United States, between the Department of Transport and a group of
environmentalists and (truckers) in the United States," Mexico's transport
and trade ministries said in a statement.
Jonathan Weissglass, an attorney for the coalition that brought the lawsuit,
called it a "narrow and procedural decision," based on the Transportation
Department's limited legal powers.
"The ruling did not address the serious air pollution concerns posed by tens
of thousands of trucks coming over the border. Nor did the court address how
border states will be able to comply with federally mandated air quality
standards," he said.
Mexican trucks make about 4.5 million border crossings each year, according
to the U.S. government. Mexico has said it has suffered billions of dollars
in economic damages from the moratorium. Has anybody done s study to find
out how many people have DIED on our nations Highways as a result of these
same Mexican Trucks?
The U.S. government argued the appeals court ruling prolonged a significant
trade dispute with Mexico, which Bush sought to resolve under the trade
agreement that took effect in 1994.
Government lawyers said the delay in compliance with the agreement has
caused Mexico to continue parallel restrictions on U.S. trucks and to
threaten new trade sanctions. I say, WHO CARES? Let the Mexican Drivers and
their Trucks STAY along the Border inside the International Trade Zone and
NOT allow them to travel throughout the United States. How about Winter
Driving in the Rockies or East Coast? Are ANY of these Mexican Drivers
QUALIFIED as '4 season Drivers'???
The groups that brought the lawsuit estimated that 34,000 trucks from Mexico
would be on U.S. highways in the first year alone. By 2010, trucks from
Mexico would likely emit twice as much of certain pollutants as U.S. trucks,
they said. This is not to mention the 'language barrier' posed by Truck
Drivers who do NOT speak English, nor do they 'understand' our Highway
Roadsigns, because Mexican rules do NOT require the Truck Drivers know what
the Roadsigns mean.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the court's opinion that the Transportation
Department did not violate the law or environmental regulations and that it
did not have to do a full environmental review.
*SAFETY* is the KEY issue in dealing with Mexican Drivers and their Trucks.
Many of the Trucks used by Mexican Companies have come from the United
States and have been BEATEN into the ground BEFORE they ever got to Mexico!
Trucks with HIGH mileage and in MOST cases, in need of REPAIR, are what find
their way TO Mexico. Old Schneider, J B Hunt, Werner, and other Trucks with
close to a million miles on some, wind up for sale in Mexico and driven back
into the United States by Mexican Carriers. I and many other drivers have
seen more than 2 drivers climb OUT of these Trucks before. Whether or not
they were all CERTIFIED Drivers, who knows??? Because they don't follow our
American Rules even though they're 'supposed to'. The other day at a Seaport
on our East Coast, one of my Drivers told me a Mexican Truck (Juarez, MX on
the Door) entered the Port he was sitting in line at and used a 'different'
Company name to obtain a 'Bar Code' to be able to pick up a Container and
leave the Seaport with. he was actually ABLE to do this! You are NOT
supposed' to be able to do this under ANY circumstances! Makes you wonder
just how SAFE our Seaport's are and what was IN that Container, doesn't it?
These cheaper paid and less qualified Mexican Truck Drivers and their Trucks
WILL and DO pose BIG problems for Americans as they hit our Nation's
Highways! I say if you don't SPEAK, READ & WRITE ENGLISH, you shouldn't be
able to drive a Truck on our Nations Highways! On April 1, 2005 that's just
exactly what the FMCSA agreed on as they announced they would start
enforcing the provisions of section 391.11 in the Drivers Qualifications
Rule Book. It's about TIME!
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