House votes to end Mexican truck program

dupe post....

 

Please provide an approved drug testing site's name and address in Mexico. I noticed you neglected to provide this one critical piece of info in your comparison of regulations between America and Mexico. You also neglected to point out the percentage of inaccurate information within Mexico's commercial driver's database.

These two critical pieces of information is exactly why the pilot program shouldn't proceed further until addressed. If I'm not mistaken...I thought the reason for pilot programs is to make assessments of circumstances such as these. And according to the information during the year's time of the pilot program, it is obvious more needs to be done before continueing. Does FMCSA terminate the program until such corrective actions are completed...NO! They instead extend it for another two years. This is not in the best interests of American citizens...FMCSA is not acting responsibly.

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Here's an article from a respectable news source...

How low can company driver pay go? Pretty low in Mexico

The driver of the very first Mexico-based truck to come into the United States in the controversial cross-border program earns a mere 13 cents per mile and $20 per day for expenses.

Luis González drove the first truck from Monterrey, Mexico, to North Carolina. He has more than 10 years’ experience and is among the company’s best, according to an article in the San Antonio Express-News detailing the first delivery under the cross-border program.

With more than 10 years of experience and an impeccable driving record like González reportedly has, company drivers in the U.S. can easily earn three times as much as González.

An informal survey of company driver pay offerings with 10 or more years experience had many U.S. companies paying 40 cents per mile and up, with some companies reporting driver pay at 50 cents per mile with that kind of experience.

As far as expenses go, the $20 a day González was paid is far below the $52 per diem allowed by the IRS for U.S. truckers.


Just a follow-up post regarding just what American truckers would be competing with.

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Not living in Mexico, I wouldn't know of any labs.

Does your insurance carrier require a drug test?

 

No. But Federal DOT does if you have a class A license operating a commercial motor vehicle. Truckers are subject to a random drug test 7 times a year. Each random session requires 50% of the drivers in a company be tested. And if you are a small company or O/O...you must be part of a consortium which fulfills this Federal regulation.

Drivers are subject for a random every session. One year I had to submit to 7 drug tests...I wasn't happy about having to pay $75.00 every time, but I submitted to maintain my class A license. If a driver doesn't submit...he/she is automatically given a positive on the random and then must go through an 18 month process to get your job/contract back. Companies and carriers will immediately discharge you from service and refer you to a certified substance abuse professional to begin re-entrance into the work force.

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Another article from a respectable news source...


Spinout: OOIDA questions FMCSA's version of Mexican truck stats

Media reports started flying earlier this week, proclaiming that Mexican motor carriers are safer than their U.S. counterparts.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association responded with skepticism to the claims by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that safety records of Mexican trucks are better than U.S counterparts.

“It’s the same spin we’ve come to expect,” said OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer. “And, it’s proof positive the nation’s top truck safety office has had its safety agenda hijacked by global profiteers.”

Just two weeks ago, at a late evening conference announcing the start of the program, FMCSA Administrator John Hill had no specific information on these carriers when questioned about the safety performance of grandfathered carriers operating in the United States.

Data on Mexico-based motor carriers and Mexican CDL holders are not kept in a single database. And the data on drivers alone isn’t exactly reliable, according to OOIDA.
According to a U.S. Department of Transportation’s Inspector General report, when examining the border inspection practices of states where these trucks have allegedly been operating, they curiously found few, if any, violations.

Upon closer examination the inspectors, not FMCSA, discovered that Texas and New Mexico had greatly under-reported the number of convictions. Additionally, they found vehicle inspections are not reported at all in the 52nd State System – the database containing records of traffic violations Mexican commercial drivers commit in the United States.

For instance, New Mexico coded every Mexican violation incorrectly, so no records of convictions were recorded after July 2005. In Texas, the inspectors found there was a backlog of 40,000 Mexican driver related commercial convictions and had no idea how long the backlog had been going on.

“So, it appears the FMCSA did not notice there had not been any convictions from New Mexico and a great decline in Texas, but never looked to find out why,” said Spencer.

The 52nd State System does not include truck safety issues or certain motor carrier regulations such as violations relating to operating a vehicle without operating authority or drivers failing to provide shipping documents.

The IG report also noted issues remain with verifying the Mexican commercial driver’s license. Sixteen percent of checks show “record not found.” As far as background checks for security purposes, there are no such databases in Mexico.

Land Line Magazine requested a copy of the report outlining the inspection numbers being widely reported. However, FMCSA failed to provide a copy of that report.

“There are numerous other safety and security concerns that obviously just don’t matter to this administration,” added Spencer.

“Congress has spoken. The American public has spoken. It’s time for the DOT to listen.”


Another follow-up article

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And if you fail, does your insurance company drop you?

My point is that Mexican truckers need to have insurance with U.S. based insurance companies.

 

Another article from a respectable news source...and this I find to be very interesting.

Mexican opposition to cross-border program continues

The Mexican trucking association that represents both carriers and independent truckers has reiterated its intent to try to get the cross-border trucking program stopped.

In an online publication, CANACAR officials stated that Mexico doesn’t have the ability to conduct complete audits on American trucks – and can’t guard against cabotage if American companies try to haul domestic cargo in their country.

These concerns were brought to the attention of the Mexican Senate by Tirso Martinez Angheben, president of CANACAR. Angheben was continuing his group’s push to suspend the cross-border program with the United States.

He told T21 – an online magazine covering the Mexico transportation industry – that he had taken the opportunity to point out these problems at a meeting of the inter-institutional board held in the Republican Senate.

He had explained to legislators how the opening of the border between Mexico and the United States was carried out, and that procedures in place are inadequate.

So far, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. carriers have 41 trucks crossing into Mexico and Mexican carriers have 44 crossing into the U.S.


What's your opinion on this report, Ronnocomot?

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If you don't have a truck to drive (job/contract,) what's the need for insurance. Insurance companies will still take your money and insure your vehicle, but you don't have a job/contract to make a living.

Insurance is one of the many federal regulations truckers must comply with. Random drug tests and vehicle insurance are two different regulations.

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I've said in previous threads that the Mexican trucking industry has reason to fear this Program. The economies of scale favor the larger U.S. truck companies.