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A Times Editorial
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 23, 2001
The U.S. Senate is getting ready to debate a transportation appropriations bill that could open the nation's highways to commercial trucks from Mexico -- and in the process reopen old wounds from the political battle over the North American Free Trade Agreement eight years ago.
President Bush has threatened to veto the bill if the Senate follows the House and denies funding for processing safety permits that would let Mexican trucks operate throughout the United States. Congress is right to insist that U.S. transportation officials ensure that those trucks meet American safety standards. But it doesn't have to come down to a choice between public safety and free trade, and some senators are making an effort to strike a fair balance.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Senate transportation appropriations subcommittee, has offered a basis for a reasonable compromise if both sides negotiate in good faith. Unlike the House bill, her proposal is aimed not at banning Mexican trucks from U.S. highways but ensuring that they meet tough safety requirements. It also calls for $103-million for construction of border inspection stations and the hiring of additional safety inspectors.
Although the White House said Murray's bill is an improvement over the House version, it is unacceptable to the president because its safety requirements are more stringent than the administration believes are necessary and violates NAFTA. Murray says the administration's response to safety concerns has been inadequate.
Safety should be the primary issue, but surely the White House and the Congress can agree that Mexican trucks should be held to the same safety standards as American rigs. What's unfair about that?
NAFTA required the United States to open its borders to trucks from Mexico and Canada by January 2000. But then-President Clinton, with the support of Congress and labor unions, refused to allow the trucks outside a 20-mile commercial zone along the border. The Bush administration wants to give Mexican trucks the run of the nation's highways starting next January. But the Transportation Department has yet to offer a comprehensive plan for ensuring Mexican trucks meet U.S. safety standards, and even lawmakers who voted for NAFTA have expressed concern.
The Mexican government only issued minimum safety standards for commercial trucking equipment this year. Mexico sets no limits on the hours a driver may stay on the road and imposes no drug testing on drivers. Yet the Bush administration proposes to let these carriers operate in the United States for the first 18 months without even a visual inspection. Instead of an on-site safety review, carriers could simply claim on paper that they meet U.S. safety standards. Border officials now manage to inspect only about 1 percent of trucks before they enter the country. Of those, 36 percent are barred from entry for serious safety violations. By contrast, 24 percent of U.S. trucks, which are inspected much more frequently, are taken out of service for safety reasons.
No one wants more unsafe trucks on U.S. highways. We have enough of our own. We believe Murray's proposal gives both sides an opportunity to fashion a fair compromise that honors our trade agreement with Mexico without sacrificing public safety.