Border officials say nixing Mexican trucker program was premature

McALLEN — Border business and political officials slammed Congress on Wednesday after the U.S. Senate dumped a NAFTA pilot program to allow Mexican truckers on American roads.

Last week, the Teamsters Union and others cried foul when the Bush administration pushed a rule through to test about 500 Mexican truckers driving into the interior United States.

That public outcry led to a Tuesday night Senate vote to cut 2008 funding for the program, essentially dooming it unless a compromise between legislators and the White House is reached.

Bush could veto the legislation, but it passed with sufficient support in both chambers to make a veto override likely.

Along the Texas-Mexico border, which has economically flourished because of NAFTA programs passed in 1994, many are saying Congress didn’t give the pilot program a chance and that they caved in to union opposition.

Meanwhile, U.S. truckers are hailing the decision because it ensures less competition on their roads.

San Juan trucker George Villanueva, for example, breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the news.

“I think it should be blocked,” he said. “A lot of drivers around here are very nervous about the situation.”

Only a few Mexican trucks ever made it through Texas ports of entry before Congress nixed the program, according to Tom Wade, president of the Logistics and Manufacturing Association — Port Laredo.

Teamsters and other truck drivers oppose the Mexican trucker program, saying safety concerns and competition from lower paid drivers in Mexico will hurt economy.

“It’s all a big smokescreen to protect Teamsters,” Wade said about this week’s decision to nix the program. “This was a test to go through and check safety. These guys were going to be under the microscope.”

The program, once fully implemented, would save American consumers an estimated $4 billion a year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

It mandates that the drivers speak English and that the trucks are inspected at the border.

In Congress, Democrats and non-border Republicans championed the plan to squelch the program, including U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-North Dakota, who offered the original amendment to cut the program’s funding.

Texas Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison both voted against the move to nix it. Cornyn even offered an amendment to keep the program while increasing the number of inspections.

“The United States has a legal requirement to begin to allow Mexican commercial trucks to travel throughout the United States,” Cornyn said in a written statement Wednesday.

Many say Congress’ actions could hinder relations between the United States and Mexico.

“We are almost repudiating that part of the NAFTA agreement,” said Keith Patridge, president of the McAllen Economic Development Corp. “I think it will be another point of contention.”

Maria Luisa O’Connell, president of the Border Trade Alliance, said eliminating the program is a misguided move based on incorrect assumptions.

“It’s an amendment based on fear and ignorance and not on facts,” O’Connell said. “We’re sending a message that we are not going to follow through on our words. Are we really committed to this trade partnership or not?”

McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez said the United States should have at least had a chance to see how the program would’ve worked.

“Once I know the facts, then I’ll make a decision on my opinion,” he said.

“But we need to give (the pilot program) a chance to see what happens when Mexican truckers come into the United States.”