Opinions on Mexican truck drivers being allowed in US?

What do you do for a living?
I'm retired

So it doesn't affect your living, only your expenses, got it. You don't give two * about the workers, only your bottom line.
What sacrifices have you made "for the workers"

It's not about sacrifices, it's about maintaining, and growing. I also buy American, which is becoming next to impossible now. When you experience a job being sent to some other country, you'll understand.... Oh, I forgot, have fun fishing or whatever, I won't be able to... Man that whole pension thing has to be great. You probably collect one, yet tell us we shouldn't want one... The arrogance!

It must be something grand, because you seem to have lost touch with the general public. We need to fix OUR country before fixing everyone else's. The auto industry was doing just fine before they had to compete with the much cheaper to produce imports. Once upon a time, import taxes made an import car cost the same as a domestic... LEVEL PLAYING FIELD...

Ford cites numbers to back up its claims of NAFTA's benefits. Before NAFTA, sales of Ford products accounted for less than one percent of the Mexican market.
Once again, using the wrong statistics to prove a failed point. I am not arguing that NAFTA has been good for Mexico. NAFTA has been GRAND for Mexico. Market shares in a foreign market mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN AMERICA.

Sales by Ford in Mexico have a direct bearing on their bottom line. Ford is still a U.S. based company is it not? Shareholders are mostly American's are they not?
Ford sells more cars and trucks, no matter where the sell them increases profits at Ford does it not?
Market share wherever it is means more profit does it not?

Ok, I'll keep it simple. When all the labor jobs have been shipped over seas, and all the phone jobs (that weren't already sent) follow, what exactly will people do to afford to buy all these pretty things? People like you aren't looking out for your grandkids, just yourselves. We can't ALL be lawyers, doctors, politicians, and police officers. Before you say something retarded... I have been seriously turned down as a laborer in many, many places for being "overqualified." That's with no college degree there.

By 1996, sales of Ford products from the United States and Canada already accounted for almost 11 percent of the Mexican market. Ford says that success has not come at the expense of American jobs. Ford vehicles assembled in Mexico maintain a high level of U. S. content. For example, the 1998 Ford Contour was produced in high volume at the Cuautitlan plant, but less than 10 percent of its parts come from Mexico. Furthermore, the company says, "Ford employment levels in each of the NAFTA economies . . . have increased since the signings of the Agreement."34
Yes, Ford employment levels are up... In China, Taiwan, Mexico...

I've underlined what the man actually said, please re-read it. All three NAFTA economies, US, Canada, and Mexico.
NOT CURRENT!!!!!!!!!!! It does not reflect RECENT trends.... GFL! Figure it out!

"American components, Russian components, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!"
That statement rings very true for more than just the space program.

Don't know what that is supposed to mean
Nevermind

Prior to NAFTA in 1993, General Motors exports to Mexico were "virtually zero."35 By 1997, they had grown to over 60,000 vehicles,36 making GM "the largest seller of vehicles in Mexico." According to a report on NAFTA issued by the company, "The assessment of NAFTA is very positive." 37GM further touted NAFTA's success in congressional testimony given by its chief economist, G. Mustafa Mohatarem, before the House Ways and Means Committee on September 11, 1997. Mohatarem provided the following remarks on NAFTA:GM was an early and strong supporter of NAFTA. We believed that it would promote economic growth, improve living standards and enhance cooperation and goodwill between theU. S., Mexico, and Canada. Although all of NAFTA's provisions will not take effect for another 12 years, NAFTA is living up to its promise three years into its implementation. The U. S. auto industry has long benefited from free trade with Canada, but prior to NAFTA, Mexico's market was effectively closed to exports of autos from the U. S. Now, GM is the largest seller of vehicles in Mexico. What is quite remarkable is that this increase in exports has occurred in the face of one of the deepest recessions in Mexican history. We expect exports to rise even more as Mexico's economy recovers. Indeed, Mexico is rebounding far more quickly and strongly than anyone could38have imagined. Clearly, Mexico's decision to honor its NAFTA commitments despite the plunge in demand in its domestic market ultimately served to accelerate recovery.
Mohatarem also points to a boon in jobs and wages in the U. S. auto industry during the first three years of NAFTA:Contrary to fears expressed by NAFTA opponents, employment39 in the auto industry increased by 110,000 between 1993 and 1996 . . . . On average, wages in U. S. companies that export tend to be 10-15 percent higher than wages in non-exporting companies. And, in the motor vehicle and equipment industry, wages have increased an average of $1.74 between 1993 and 1996'74 percent above the average for the U. S. private sector.
GM is quite happy with NAFTA and its impact on GM, Michigan, and the United States: "All in all," concludes Mohatarem, "we think the assessment40of NAFTA is very positive and that the benefits of NAFTA will continue to grow. Thus, not only does General Motors continue to be a strong proponent of NAFTA, but we also support its expansion to other hemispheric countries, beginning with Chile."In 1993, 49 percent of Chrysler's American motor vehicle exports went to Canada and Mexico. By 1998, that figure had increased to 66 percent. From 1993 to 1998 Chrysler (now DaimlerChrysler) motor vehicle exports to Mexico increased from 5,613 to 34,830 motor vehicles. In addition, these increased exports to Mexico were accomplished without eliminating a single U.S.-based job. Indeed, not only has hourly employment at DaimlerChrysler increased by 21 percent since 1993, but profit sharing has increased from41$4,300 in 1993 to an average of $7,400 per hourly worker in 1998.

And yet, since then... Oldsmobile has closed shop, no more Plymouth brand, plants closing or downsizing nationwide to cut costs... in 2007!! At first it was great, but then, some scheming person high up decided to take the jobs to where the new market was. Now, without taxes, they could ship our cars back up to us from Mexico. No unions, no healthcare costs, increasing sticker prices... Um, something doesn't add up.

Hmm, no unions, there's a thought. Give it time Grasshopper.
Unions came about for one reason, to ensure fair treatment of the workers. Sweatshops full of malnourished people working for pennies a day, may be fine in Asia. We grew tired of it, so they served their purpose. If not for the unions, you would have been working in a chicken factory, because you never would have gotten to get an education. Did they go to far? YES! Do we need them again? YES!
Why is it that Wal-Mart is just as successful in Germany as it is here? They have a union there, so why would it change so much? Unions are not the devil, MISMANAGED unions are the devil. There is a difference.

If you're going to eliminate jobs, you need to lower the final cost of the product. Eventually there won't be enough jobs to go around. We will have traded places with Mexico, and we'll all be driving 30yr old cars.

Why would they lower the cost of the product? They are not in business to be nice to you. The company was formed to build and sell cars and trucks at a profit. If you don't like that, then don't buy their product.

You just can't seem to grasp the concept of employment rates versus sales. It has NOTHING to do with being "nice," it has EVERYTHING to do with keeping your customers working. If your customers have no work, then you have no sales. I can't really understand why you don't grasp that concept, so I am through trying to explain the "non-numbers" part of economics to you, you don't get it if it doesn't involve plus minus, and dollar signs.

Now, we have Kia, Toyota (not so much since they seem to be the only one that understand that you have to put americans to work to afford things like cars), Nissan, Mitsubishi, Cherry, etc... They get produced elsewhere for MUCH cheaper, shipped to us for almost nothing, and now will be delivered for almost nothing.

Pay attention to the words. They can't haul anything "originating" in the US and delivering in the US. This means anything that came from outside the US is fair game to them, it could be interpereted as permission to haul from a port to a point in the US.

It only could be interpreted that way only by an idiot. The Pilot Program clearly states that the load must originate or terminate in Mexico.

Because our federal government hasn't "interpreted" things like idiots before, right? Where's the manpower to prevent this anyway?

You think the Longshoremans union is just going to load a container onto Pablo's truck with Mexican signage on the side of it and not say anything?
There's your manpower.
But wait... Unions are bad! One or the other man, one or the other. You flip-flop more than a democrat on the campaign trail.

Basically, unless you make money off of the Mexicans driving on our roadways, this is a bad thing for all drivers. Even the Mexicans don't want to come up here. I'm certain they have no choice, because we have companies in the US that are still forced dispatch, do you think they have it any better?

No I don't, but you never hear them complaining

Actually, if you would pay attention to the industry news you would know that they are complaining. But, I suppose you would have to actually be involved with our industry to care about it.

They don't complain when they are cutting my lawn, actually seem to be quite happy. Mexican Trucking Companies should be worried, because if you and all the others out there whining about the Mexican's taking your freight would stop and think you might realize that the U.S. trucking industry could wipe out the Mexicans by sheer volume alone.
Why wouldn't JB or swift or some other POS company with thousands of trucks flood the Mexican ports? Even with a slight pay cut from 35 cpm to 30 cpm, they would have so much freight and so many more miles to bring that freight you'd actually be making more money.
There are simply not enough large Mexican carriers who have the pockets deep enough to compete.
But I'm the idiot.
BECAUSE MEXICANS WORK FOR $0.10/MILE!!!!
GOD!!! The ATA WANTS this thing to go through, because then they can ship a bunch of trucks down there, set up terminals with new fuel and hire Mexicans to do the job we used to do... THAT'S why the Mexican companies are worried, they're going to lose business.
As for the guys cutting your grass, they're here. Why mess up a good thing? These DRIVERS don't want to be here, because they know they face vandalism, beatings, theft, etc.. from our more barbaric American drivers (which is a shame, we should be past the racism by now).

NAFTA has done more damage than good. Millions of jobs lost, pennies saved.
Billions in addition tariff free sales for U.S. companies.

Everything boils down to advantages for COMPANIES,

Who works at these companies you despise? Whose mutual funds are full of these companies stock?
Americans

but nothing for the people. I have seen prices CLIMB, not fall. I have LOST jobs that got sent away.

Do you really think that I would be out here, dealing with this crap, if I didn't have to? Sure, it was fun at first, but now... Not so much.

I would much rather be a supervisor at the factory I worked at. The pay was better, the benefits were better, no risk of personal fines for mistakes. Mexicans need it more though, right? You are fooled into thinking things cost less for you, right? Or are you just heavily invested in some of these big companies? That has to be it, you depend on those companies to turn out huge profits, so that you can still afford that cadillac while retired. Meanwhile it will eventually cost the retirement of millions of other people.

I wouldn't be caught dead in a Caddy. Ford F-350 out here in God's Country.
Whatever, it's an expensive arse vehicle either way.

 

Yes Ronnocomot you have showed your concern for Americans throughout this thread.

Yes we can tell it's all about you!

We see where you stand you even think a pay cut should be accepted by the American people

OK I have been very SARCASTIC over my last couple post claiming to be pro Mexican Trucker I'm not and NEVER will be. But we just might have to get used to the new flag I've got posted in my signature, because if we keep allowing our rights to have work in this country to be given to foreigners then that's what will be flying in the next couple years.

PS Don't bother to email me telling me I misspelled something or didn't use proper grammar, I don't care what you think. I only care about the future of this country and the future for my grandchildren. So keep your snide remarks and comments to yourself.

 

...still think hanging for treason is OK..where & when Vulcan???

 

careful there Vulcan, don't want you blowing a heart valve over a posting.

 

You know sometimes you have to admire the middle eastern countries, you know the ones who would behead a certain type of people who would sell their country or beliefs down the road for a dollar like many people in this country would.

 

Or stone a woman to death for getting raped because it was her fault?

 

..you're right--so where & when???

 

..'wishy-washy' border lovin, taco bending, enchilada porking Gringo!!

 

I dont mind all this free trade stuff ... I am all for it. I like burritos, tacos, enchiladas.. could use alot more of that across the U.S.. Better than that Taco Bell. I am all about authentic mexican at all truck stops. Fajitas here I come. I wonder what Canadian food is like?