Nafta Trucking: We Can Open the Border Safely
merican Trucking Associations
As Mexico and the United States grapple with a rocky road ahead for the economy, the livelihoods of workers on both sides of the border are on the line. With one act, the U.S. could deliver a firm and lasting economic boost to both countries. All we have to do is honor our country’s promise to allow the safe, seamless transport of goods across the U.S.-Mexican border — and reject the costly myth that we must try and stop commerce to ensure safety.
Without question, the North American Free Trade Agreement has delivered stunning economic growth, with trade between the U.S. and Mexico nearly tripling since 1993. The vast majority of Nafta’s economic benefits are delivered on the back of a truck. Yet the trade pact’s full potential has remained elusive, due to the former administration’s policy of ignoring its Nafta commitment to allow cross-border trucking.
As Texas governor, Bush witnessed first hand the mass congestion, lost economic opportunities and enforcement nightmares that strangle the U.S.-Mexican border today. Unlike the Canadian border, where trucks are free to go anywhere in the U.S. to pick up or drop off a cross-border load, a U.S. truck cannot make a delivery into Mexico. Instead, it drives to the border, loads its cargo onto a transfer truck which makes a short run across the border, then the cargo is handed off to a third truck that completes the journey. The system would be the same as firefighters trading in their high-powered hoses for lines of volunteers passing buckets. While that approach makes work, the economy would be better served and ultimately more jobs would be created if trucks could move U.S.-Mexican commerce more efficiently.
Clearly the top concern is safety. The AFL-CIO likes to point to border inspections at Laredo,Texas, where Mexican trucks are cited twice as often as U.S. trucks for safety violations. But these are the older short-haul drayage trucks, which would largely disappear with a seamless border.
For a real glimpse of what lies ahead, look at the Otay Mesa, Calif., crossing. There, the California Highway Patrol has a first-rate inspection facility, and Mexican truck safety runs only 3% behind that of U.S. trucks. All border states should dedicate federal and state resources necessary to run similarly strong inspection programs. Of course, these inspections will be backed by Nafta’s requirement that every Mexican motor carrier must apply for U.S. operating authority before its trucks can enter the United States. The bar for gaining that authority is straightforward and high: Mexican trucks must meet our safety standards to drive on our roads.
The Bush administration can further improve highway safety by pressing Mexico to open its market to the import of used U.S. trucks. The average Mexican truck is 15 years old. With the current glut of used trucks in the U.S., we could easily sell many far younger trucks to Mexican carriers, which would benefit from more modern equipment at reasonable prices.
As we take this step, no one will fight harder for highway safety than American Trucking Associations. We want unsafe drivers of any nationality off the roads. We also know from experience that you don’t have to choose between moving a strong economy and ensuring highway safety. Families on both sides of the border deserve both.
Mr. McCormick is president and chief executive officer of ATA, the largest trucking trade group in the United States.
This story appears in the March 26 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
