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Contact: Norita Taylor, norita_taylor@ooida.com

(800) 444-5791

 

 

 

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. – March 27, 2009 –  The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), which represents more than 160,000 small business truckers, has asked President Obama to suspend any immediate plans to establish another cross-border trucking program.

 

The Association sent a letter contending that the onus is on the Mexican government to raise its regulatory standards to that of the United States and Canada before its motor carriers are allowed full access to U.S. highways.

  

Jim Johnston, OOIDA President, referred to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to point out that it does not require the United States to make exemptions for safety and security.

 

“The treaty (NAFTA), however, provides that each party to the agreement has the right to ‘adopt, maintain or apply any standards-related measure, including any such measure relating to safety, the protection of human, animal or plant life or health, the environment or consumers, and any measure to ensure its enforcement or implementation’ (NAFTA, Article 904 ¶ 1) provided that such measures must be applied in a non-discriminatory manner (Article 904 ¶ 3),” Johnston wrote.

 

“Thus, one country may not treat service providers from another country any less favorably than it would “in like circumstances” treat its own or another country’s service providers (Articles 904 ¶ 3, 1202 & 1203).”

 

Trucking companies in the United States are required to comply with consistently increasing safety, security and environmental regulations, which significantly increase their costs of operations.

 

 “Mexico-domiciled trucking companies and drivers simply do not contend with a similar regulatory regime in their home country nor must they contend with the corresponding regulatory compliance costs that encumber their U.S. counterparts,” said Johnston.

 

“I only ask that your Administration follow the laws that Congress has put in place to ensure that Mexico-domiciled trucking companies and truck drivers comply with the same level of safety, security and environmental standards that already apply to U.S.-based companies and drivers. That compliance is necessary to make certain the safety and security of U.S. citizens as well as to ensure operational cost fairness for American trucking companies and truck drivers.”