Trucks from Mexico to be Allowed in U.S.

[dc sports]

This was on the CBS news this morning, although I haven't seen it elsewhere. Please forgive me if the details are a little off -- and feel free to make corrections (as if anyone ever hesitated http://bbs.clutchcity.net/ubb/smile.gif )

The US plans to allow 18-wheelers and trucks from Mexico to travel in the United States. Until now, any trucks from Mexico had to transfer their loads to U.S. licensed trucks within 25 miles of the border.

This change won't require a changeover, or US licensing of trucks registered in Mexico. They will be subject to the same safety requirements, as well as any standard weigh station or random safety inspections. They will not be inspected at the border, or have any other routine inspection. The concern, of course, is that the trucking industry in Mexico is held to a much looser set of standards.

This frightens me -- especially considering how much trouble we have with unsafe trucks anyway -- which have mandatory annual safety inspecions.

I also wonder if we'll run into a situation similar to what we have with ships -- trucks registerd in the country of convenience, simply because it is cheaper to adhere to a looser set of standards. This could result in an overall safety problem, and having to spend more on enforcement.

Thoughts?

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Stay Cool...

[sirhangover]

the lack of weight restrictions in mexico is so bad my father is in the marble business and it takes 2 american trucks to equal 1 mexican truck because they dont give a rats a$$ there and pile the truck sky high...

this is good news for all the narco traffickers...

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they say the meek shall inherit the earth

[dc sports]

A separate story, but one that speaks volumes about enforcement by the Mexico transportation authorities:

http://www.individual.com/network/msnbc/story.shtml?story=h0205221.100&level3=1395

Mexico Struggles With Illegal Cabs -- MEXICO CITY (AP) via NewsEdge Corporation -

Hailing a taxicab in the Western Hemisphere's largest city is easy enough, but finding a legitimate one just got harder. As Mexico City residents have long known, taxis that don't display a permit or the driver's photo identification could be ``pirate'' cabs, which operate without authority and are sometimes driven by thieves trolling for victims.

Now, they are being told many taxis that appear to have the proper credentials are in fact using fake papers and license plates to attract fares. In a report on the phenomenon Monday, the newspaper Reforma referred to these taxis as ``cloned'' cabs. Of nearly 104,000 street taxis, more than 20,000 are cloned and another 16,000 are pirate cabs that either lack documents and plates altogether or use phoney plates, the Taxi Institute told the newspaper.

Most of the illegal cabs are occupied not by thieves but by honest drivers just trying to evade the bureaucracy of licensing regulations. And hailing a legitimate cab is no safety guarantee: Many assaults have occurred in completely legal taxis that have been stolen.

``There is no vigilance or real supervision by transportation authorities when it comes to taxis,'' said Alfredo Rojas Haro, leader of the city's taxi union. ``Not even the Taxi Institute is sure how many units are circulating in the city and that is what leads to so much crime.''

Nearly 3,000 crimes last year were linked to taxis, down from 3,554 in 1999 and 3,523 in 1998, Reforma said. Crime rates in Mexico City increased sharply after the dramatic plunge of the peso, Mexico's currency, in 1995.

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Stay Cool...

[This message has been edited by dc sports (edited February 07, 2001).]