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15 Apr 07 - 11:22 PM (#2026429) Subject: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: GUEST,Mother Trucker NATIONAL TRUCKER'S "TRUCK OUT" BOYCOTT: To Protest President Bush and our elected official's plans, both state and federal, to allow tens of thousands of Mexican truckers onto America's highways in the next 45 days. Mexican truckers will be allowed to cross our border without any restrictions regulating compliance to our United States Trucking rules, laws, and regulations. No educational requirements to speak fluent english, no weight or load restrictions, as their loads will not be under the same security scrutiny that our trucker's loads have to comply to, which opens the door to more drugs, terrorist, weapons, and human smuggling, some with no liability or collision insurance in place, some truckers with no driver-licenses and many with criminal and DUI driving records, no background checks, bald-tires and their un-inspected, unsafe trucks and trailers that are not regulated to adhere to our strict safety regulations. This is a complete breakdown of the current United States federal and state trucking laws that govern our teamster truckers, independant trucking organizations, and mom-and-pop trucking families. Not only will American truckers lose their jobs, but American truckers and motorists become collateral damage in accidents guaranteed to occur -- killing our citizens, destroying property, closing highways and tying up traffic in the process.... http://republicbroadcasting.org/index.php?cmd=sec&pg=truckout |
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16 Apr 07 - 12:25 PM (#2026948) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: GUEST,Mother Trucker See...YOU are ticketed for not wearing your seatbelt. YOU are ticketed for not having your license with you. Meanwhile, they say they're "protecting" us from outside threats. Get the point? |
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16 Apr 07 - 12:40 PM (#2026970) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: Wesley S I agree that there should be closer inspections of any trucks coming across our borders. But - that doesn't mean that we shouldn't get tickets for not wearing seatbelts. And what type of ignoramus leaves the house without their drivers license? |
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16 Apr 07 - 12:44 PM (#2026973) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: John MacKenzie Just about everybody in the UK Wesley, where we are more trusting of our citizens. G ¦¬] |
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16 Apr 07 - 12:48 PM (#2026981) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: Liz the Squeak Surely once the vehicle is on American soil it's subject to American laws? Set the checkpoints a few miles in and see how many you can catch. LTS |
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16 Apr 07 - 01:31 PM (#2027035) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: pdq "Surely once the vehicle is on American soil it's subject to American laws?" That is the point. They are not. |
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16 Apr 07 - 01:38 PM (#2027040) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: Stringsinger What about the truckers in Iraq working for private defense contractors? That's another violation of international law. Bush allows that also. Frank |
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16 Apr 07 - 01:46 PM (#2027046) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: diesel Anyone have a link to the Govt's plan ?? The link provided is more of the same ranting, unsubstantiated - it just sounds like scaremongering. Some 'official' govt source would be helpful - just sounds highly unlikely that foreign trucks can be exempt from national laws if on national roads - other than diplomatic immunity - I don't think I've ever seen this happen. Send on the source of the govt action please rgds Diesel |
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16 Apr 07 - 02:18 PM (#2027087) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: artbrooks There is/was such a plan, involving a limited number of carefully selected and inspected Mexican trucking companies. The plan is currently on hold while safety issues are addressed. |
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16 Apr 07 - 02:39 PM (#2027096) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: Rabbi-Sol Mexican truckers are currently allowed to bring cargo into the border states and pick up cargo in those states bound for Mexico. What Bush wants to do under NAFTA is allow Mexican truckers access to all 49 states, not only for cargo going to and from Mexico but being allowed to transport domestic cargo between points in the USA as well. Even if the Mexican truckers are willing to comply with all DOT safety and insurance regulations they will still be able to undercut American truckers prices substatially because of their low labor costs. This is why the Teamsters Union is hollering bloody murder. SOL ZELLER |
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16 Apr 07 - 02:42 PM (#2027100) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: Peace This thread was closed yesterday. It's open now. What changed? |
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16 Apr 07 - 02:49 PM (#2027107) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: pdq As far as a text covering this issue, I cannot find one. It appears to be a Department Of Transportation policy change, and therefore is not being mandated by any legislation. Such legislation would be a matter of public reord and would be found on a government web site. |
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16 Apr 07 - 03:06 PM (#2027118) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: Scoville Oh, great--the U.S. can't monitor its OWN truckers effectively, never mind everyone else's. |
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16 Apr 07 - 03:14 PM (#2027126) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: Q (Frank Staplin) U. S. truckers enter Canada and Mexico, Canadian truckers enter the U. S., Mexican truckers enter the States- been going on for years and will continue. Of course, proper papers are required. Stopping just the Windsor Canada-Detroit U. S. truck traffic alone would be a serious blow to trade. The so-called war on terror is a red guppy in this issue. |
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17 Apr 07 - 01:54 AM (#2027536) Subject: RE: BS: War on Terror? Border open to truckers From: JohnInKansas Trucks and truckers with Mexican registry have been operating in "border states" and through most of the "western corridor" from Mexico to Washington state along the west coast since the "official" effectiveness of the NAFTA treaty. Largely because of their freedom from regulations that US trucks and truckers must observe, they now are estimated to be transporting around 20% of the traffic in the seaport areas in and around Los Angeles. Since their "permission" to operate there is based on an "international treaty," they are exempt from inspection by US Federal Highway authorities, State and Local Police, and are largely exempt from any safety instpections, operating hour limits, pay scales, and even load limits that US truckers must comply with. Many Mexican truckers and trucking firms are contesting state fuel tax payments, and to some extent have been evading payment of those US taxes. A particular sore point with many truckers is that US authorities claim that they are prohibited by the treaty from challenging the ownership and registration of Mexican trucks/truckers. Even in numerous cases where the vehicle, particularly for trailers, still bears serial numbers that confirm that the trailer was stolen in the US, US officials have adopted the stance that they are prohibited from any action as long as the trucker has a "Mexican license" for it. I can attest from experience that it is very difficult to carry on a conversation with a trucker who has recently seen his own stolen trailer ($120,000 worth of hardware) sitting at a dock in LA and has been told by police they can do nothing and that he will go to jail if he attempts to "take it back." As official sources make no effort to control the use of stolen equipment by Mexican operators, there are no official estimates. The most conservative truckers who operate in that area say that at least 15%, and some say up to 60%, of trailers in use by Mexican "owners" and "firms" in the LA area are stolen in the US and re-registered (average cost cited is about $100 - $500 for a Mexican "Certificate of Origin") as Mexican. A domestic driver must stop for inspection every time a state line is crossed. At any stop, at the whim of the inspectors, a "safety and log book inspection" may be made. Any violation means the truck is stopped until the violation is corrected. You do not change a tire on an interstate rig. You call for a maintenance truck, at $100 - $300 per hour flat rate, plus $30 - $90 per mile depending on location. You'll probably pay a fine of at least $1,000 for being in violation. Roving enforcers at state and in some cases local level may also stop a domestic interstate trucker at any time for their own inspection(s). The Mexican truckers are exempt, and subject only to Mexican safety and operating regulations, which are, so far as I can tell, non-existent, unenforced, and unenforceable, giving the Mexican operator a free ride on US highways. Not exactly a fair competition. John |