Truckers may be reluctant to come over

Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
El Paso Times
Article Launched:02/25/2007 12:00:00 AM MST

The big news last week was that the U.S. government took the first steps toward finally allowing Mexican trucks to roam the interior of the United States.

The trucks have been cooped up in the border region, shuttling between Juárez plants and El Paso warehouses, since 2000, when they were supposed to be set free by the North American Free Trade Agreement rules.

U.S. truckers and environmentalists have been successful in delaying implementation of the rules so far. But last week's announcement, which involved U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters inspecting a big rig at the Bridge of the Americas cargo facility, left little doubt that the stalling is over.

The Associated Press reported that the announcement drew an angry reaction from labor leaders, safety advocates and members of Congress.

Teamster President Jim Hoffa spoke about "playing Russian roulette" with U.S. roadways.

But what Mexican truckers will do with the new opportunity remains to be seen.

Just like all those folks we trust in the SENTRI system that they are always going to obey the law and never smuggle drugs or humans - that system is working so well why now let truckers from Mexico freely roam the whole country and we will simply trust that their trucks meet the minimums for driving our highways, that they will obey the laws, that they will not be transporting drugs or humans! -mm