Senators oppose access for Mexican trucks

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 13, 2001) — Ten Democratic senators want President Bush to reconsider his decision to allow trucks from Mexico to operate in the United States in accordance with the North American Free Trade Agreement.

According to published reports, the senators wrote a letter to Bush Monday expressing safety concerns with the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s plan to allow Mexican truckers access beyond a 20-mile “free-trade zone.” They complained that Mexican trucking companies who qualified to operate in the United States could do so for up to 18 months without passing a safety audit.

Bush pledged to honor NAFTA after an arbitration panel in February ruled that the United States was violating the treaty. The Clinton administration had blocked the cross-border provisions because of safety concerns and pressure from organized labor.

The letter was signed by Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Max Baucus of Montana, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Tom Daschle of South Dakota, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Evan Bayh of Indiana, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, and Richard Durbin of Illinois.

Source: truckinginfo.com