Three more Mexico-domiciled carriers are on the verge of being granted authority to participate in the cross-border long-haul trucking pilot program known as the Mexican Trucking Pilot Program.
Teamsters International Vice President Ken Hall, also president of Local 175 in South Charleston has been an outspoken opponent of the program, which began as a NAFTA mandate.
“…Once the government allows those trucks to start rolling freely across the United States, it will undermine national security, no matter what state you are in. There are legitimate concerns about terrorist groups smuggling terrorists across the Mexican border.
“Mexican drug cartels are also likely to use Mexican trucks to increase the circulation of drugs in the U.S., which will affect all of us.”
Opening the border to Mexican trucks, Hall added, is also likely to also lower wages for truck drivers across the country, a sentiment shared by many Mexican Trucking Pilot Program opposers.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration disagrees and says that the three Mexican carriers all have stellar safety and compliance records. They say they will publish a notice in the Federal Register Friday seeking public comments on data and information concerning the Pre-Authorization Safety Audits (PASA) for the three carriers.
Find out what carriers are soon to be hauling freight to and from Mexico at The Trucker.