Mexican and U.S. truckers can now drive commercial cargo into and throughout both countries, bringing a resolution to the 17-year dispute over that provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and his Mexican counterpart, Secretary Dionisio Arturo Pérez-Jácome, signed agreements Wednesday in Mexico City to allow the cross-border trucking program and also to reduce Mexico-imposed tariffs on U.S. trade.
Until now, Mexican truckers had been allowed to travel only within 20 miles of the international border, except in Arizona, where the range extended 75 miles.
As the U.S. studied the best approach for granting access to these truckers, Mexico grew impatient and in 2009 imposed tariffs on dozens of U.S. products entering Mexico.
Beginning Friday, Mexico will drop the cost of those tariffs by 50 percent now that the agreement has been signed. The other 50 percent will be suspended within five days of the first Mexican trucking company receiving its U.S. operating authority, according to a press release from Mexico's secretary of the economy.
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While those in the trade industry celebrated the agreement, U.S. truckers expressed dismay at its possible impact on their livelihood.
"People in Washington are constantly talking about two things these days - creating good jobs for Americans and cutting wasteful spending. This program does exactly the opposite for both," Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said in a statement.
Regulations
To qualify for travel into the U.S., Mexican truck drivers must prove their ability to understand English and U.S. traffic laws. They also will be required to pass a drug test.
In April, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration allocated $2.5 million from the federal Highway Trust Fund to equip Mexican trucks with electronic data recorders to ensure safety compliance.
The monitoring also will ensure that Mexican truckers don't violate cabotage laws, which prohibit foreign trucks from making deliveries between U.S. cities.
Werner Guillermo Cota, an agricultural association official in Sonora, was pleased that the agreement was reached.
He said many Mexican transportation companies are ready to travel north and comply with the U.S. standards, due in part to the reinforcement of the Mexican Transportation Department regulations that include drug testing, licenses and physical tests for drivers.
"I wouldn't say all the transportation industry is prepared 100 percent," he said. "But there are transportation companies that have newer models that comply with regulations in both countries."
Al Altuna, president and CEO of Altuna Logistics International LLC in Tucson, said the agreement could encourage some Nogales companies offering warehouse and broker services to expand their operations to the Tucson region.
"The best way to keep the cost of goods down and grow our economies is to move goods in the most efficient, safe and secure way possible and to eliminate excessive tariffs, as was the original plan under the NAFTA agreement," he said by email.
"The challenge now will be to manage the compliance process without adding excessive costs to the goods being moved," he said.
Contact reporter Mariana Alvarado at 573-4597 or malvarado@azstarnet.com
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