Off the road, no thanks to the Obama Administration?

Porter Corn, at Mexico Trucker, sends along this urgent message:

At the moment, the FY09 Omnibus Appropriations” bill is being debated
in the Senate after passing the House last week. This is a
conglomeration of the normal 13 appropriations bills that are voted on
annually. This time around, the have consolidated them into one
massive “Porkulus II”

Hidden within this bills under Department of Transportation Funding is
a small paragraph (SEC 136) in another attempt to close, once and for
all, the Mexican Cross Border Pilot Program.

I have been very successful with my site http://mexicotrucker.com in
fighting the opponents of this program, exposing their agenda and the
strategy of lies and inaccurate information they use to foster fear
and opposition to the program.

The latest and final report from the DOT Office of Inspector General
has verified all that I have written on this subject, and validates
the safety and compliance of Mexican carriers operating in this
country. This program was established as part of our obligations under
NAFTA. Canadian trucks have had access under the same rules for 14
years.  Mexican trucks have been denied.

Opposition has come from two groups primarily, The Teamsters and a
group called Owner Operators Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)

All of the claims of unsafe dangerous Mexican trucks have been
debunked by the OIG report, yet these two groups continue to press for
it’s demise.

At present, OOIDA is broadcasting an urgent action alert. (
http://www.ooida.com/action_alerts/2009/022709.htm ) once more.

One of their stations, the host is actually crying (tears) and
pleading his listeners to call Congress and urge them to keep this
section in the bill. In his words, “if this passes, it will be the end
of the United States as we know it. And I love my country”

And the morons buy it.

I’m not going to go into a long discussion here. In a nutshell, the
OIG report shows the Mexican carriers in the program are in
compliance, have a lower out of service rate than American carriers (a
safety thing) and in the past 18 months of the program, have had ZERO
ACCIDENTS and ZERO MAJOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS.

The opposition has used the immigration debate to stir up opposition
to this program. Indeed FAIR, in it’s 2009 Plan of Action against our
efforts at CIR, lists STOP THE MEXICAN TRUCK PROGRAM as one of their
issues.

These trucks, this program has absolutely nothing to do with
Immigration nor the debate. It is about commerce and our obligations
under a treaty we willingly entered into.

The program is slated to run for another 18 months to collect data in
which a determination can be made if these trucks are capable of
operating in our environment.

I need all of you to send out an alert on your action lists, emails
lists ecetera,, to please call both of your Senators today and next
week to tell them and their staff that you oppose Section 136 of the
omnibus appropriations bill and support continuation of the
crossborder trucking pilot program.

To contact the 2 Senators from your state, call the U.S. Capitol
switchboard at (202) 224-3121, provide the operator with your home
state and they will connect you with the appropriate offices.

You can also use the same number to contact your Representatives as
the bill will go back to committee for reconciliation.

There is opposition to this in the Senate, but not enough. The White
House has indicated that they may send a letter urging the Senators to
remove this Section 136 from the bill, citing our treaty obligations
under NAFTA.

The US Chamber of Commerce and more than 700 US companies support this
action and this program.

WHAT HAPPENS IF IT PASSES?

In 1994 after being denied access to the US, went before the NAFTA
arbitration panel where they won their case. The US was told it must
follow their treaty obligations but had the right to put in place
safety mechanisms to insure Mexico could comply with our laws. This
pilot program is that Mechanism.

IF this program is stopped, Mexico can fine the US 10,000,000 per
month until the US DOT is in compliance. They have also indicated
willingness to through up tariffs at the border on ag products. That
cost will be passed onto the American consumer.

We do not need a trade war with our third largest trading partner in
this recession, and over such an insignificant issue.

The program has not had any economic impact on American truckers nor
has it cost any American jobs.

It need to be completed and Jimmy Hoffa, OOIDA and other special
interest groups need to be reminded we are a country of “We the
People”, not a land of special interests.

Thanks folks, and I hope we can get this going. The vote could come as
early as tomorrow