Guest Column
Mexican trucks are about to roll into the U.S. It's about time.
Mexican trucks are
about to roll into the U.S. It's about time.
Wall Street Editorial
February 27, 2007
It's nice the U.S. government is finally getting around to meeting its
obligations under a trade pact with Mexico ratified a mere 14 years ago.
But even that is too fast for some protectionists.
Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S. was required to
lift a ban on Mexican trucks traveling more than 25 miles inside the
border. The deadline for doing so was 2000, yet seven years later the ban
remains in place. Hence, when Mexican trucks reach the mileage limit, they
must off-load and transfer the goods to American trucks, which carry them
to their ultimate destination. You can understand why the Teamsters who
represent American drivers favor this arrangement, however inefficient,
but U.S. consumers pick up the tab.
Last week, the Bush Administration announced a plan to lift the mileage
restriction, and unions and their supporters in Congress are predictably
crying foul. Rather than acknowledging their protectionist agenda,
opponents are raising bogus concerns linked to the supposedly poor
"safety" record of Mexican rigs. Teamster President James Hoffa told
reporters the Administration is "playing a game of Russian roulette on
America's highways." Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington says
she'll hold hearings.
If these arguments sound familiar, it's because Mr. Hoffa also used them
in 2001, when the Bush Administration first tried to lift the mileage
restriction to comply with Nafta. Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio
warned that there would be "blood on the highway." And David Obey of
Wisconsin intoned that "Nafta is a trade pact. It's not a suicide pact."
That hyperbole is just as phony now. It's common practice, both here and
south of the border, to use older vehicles to travel short distances. And
there's no evidence that Mexican long-haul trucks and drivers are more
dangerous than their U.S. counterparts. The latest data show the safety
records of the U.S. and Mexico are comparable.
According to the Transportation Department, 32% of Mexican trucks were
pulled from the road for safety violations in 2001. Last year that number
fell to 21%. Meanwhile, 21% of U.S. trucks failed safety inspections in
2001, versus 23% last year. Mexican drivers are less likely than their
U.S. counterparts to be in violation of the law--1.2% in 2006, versus 7%
for U.S. truckers.
A prohibition on Mexican trucks traveling more than a few miles into the
U.S. has resulted in more congestion and pollution at the border. It also
means that more investment is going toward shipping items from Point A to
Point B than is necessary. Lifting the ban and giving these vehicles full
access to the U.S. will streamline the process and reduce costs.
Mexican businesses have no incentive to send rickety trucks north of the
border only to break down before reaching their destination. And behaving
as if they do--in order to mask an antitrade agenda--is no way to treat a
neighbor.
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