As for how much volume we’re talking about, an estimated 2. 7 million loaded trailers crossed into the United States
from Mexico in 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of
Transportation Statistics. About 1. 2 million loaded trailers
entered Mexico from the United States that year, according
to data from private research firm Transearch.
WINNERS AND LOSERS
The agreement has yet to be finalized, and the details
remain sketchy. The pact must still pass industry and congressional muster, which promises to be a battle. At the very
least, there will be U.S. lawmakers concerned about the
safety of Mexican drivers and the environmental worthiness of Mexican vehicles—not to mention the cost to taxpayers of a proposal by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration to partially foot the bill to equip Mexican
rigs with electronic on-board recorders to monitor a vehicle’s movement and location.
If and when an agreement is signed, one clear winner
would be U.S. producers whose exports have been curtailed
by tariffs imposed by Mexico in retaliation for its carriers
being denied access to U.S. markets. As part of the accord
announced in March, the Mexican government will reduce
the tariffs by 50 percent when a final agreement is signed,
and suspend the remaining 50 percent when the first
Mexican carrier is granted operating authority. The tariffs
have been levied on 89 U.S. import products valued at
about $2.4 billion a year.
NATIONAL MOTOR FREIGHT transportationreport
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