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May 2009 12 TrucKers News U.S. leaders sought to improve relations with Mexico in March by suggesting they would reinvent the cross-border trucking program after ending that contro-versial project. When it was ended March 11, it spawned $2.4 billion in trade retaliation south of the border in the form of tariffs on goods. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration terminated the cross-border project after President Obama signed the $411 billion appropria-tions bill, containing language end-ing the program. The project, which drew low participation from truckers on both sides of the border, had been the subject of congressional hearings and lawsuits. Raymond LaHood, U.S. Depart-ment of Transportation secretary, met in late March with industry stakeholders, safety advocates and congressional members toward cre-ating a new project. Obama has tasked the DOT, the U.S. Trade Rep-resentative, the state department, congressional leaders and Mexican officials with building a program that will meet the legitimate con-cerns of Congress and our NAFTA commitments, according to a DOT statement. The Owner-Operator Indepen-dent Drivers Association has asked Obama to suspend any immediate plans to replace the cross-border pro-gram. Mexico's regulatory standards should meet the requirements of the rest of North America before its trucks do business beyond the bor-der zone, the association said. OOIDA President Jim Johnston said the North American Free Trade Agreement does not require the United States to make exemptions for safety and security. Thus, one country may not treat service pro-viders from another country any less for The record trUcking newS Reinventing the Deal? Obama administration promises to create new cross-border trucking program Jill DUnn anD toDD DillS continued on page 78 When U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited in March with Mexican officials to discuss the cross-border program, she said the issue would be resolved but that it was not the only problem being examined, as both nations needed to secure the violence-strewn border. We shouldn't just take Mexico trucking and act as though that's the only issue that we have to worry about going across our border, she said. Days later, the Transporta-tion Security Administration's Highway Information Sharing and Analysis Center issued an alert for trucking companies and drivers engaged in cross-border operations within Mexico or whose deliveries take them close to the Mexi-can border. Violence among Mexican drug cartels along the U.S./ Mexican border has signifi-cantly increased in the past years. More than 200 Ameri-cans have been killed in the area since 2004 and robberies, homicides, petty thefts, kidnap-pings and carjackings have all increased, notably in Tijuana and northern Baja California. The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel alert for U.S. citizens traveling to, work-ing in or living in Mexico. Truck drivers may face an elevated risk of being a crime victim as their loads represent a potentially easy payoff for crimi-nals, said ISAC Director Don L. Rondeau. We're strongly urging American trucking com-panies and owner-operators to exercise extreme caution when making deliveries or pick-ups along the Mexican border. The Highway ISAC issued the following guidelines for trucking companies and drivers with scheduled deliveries and/or pick-ups in Mexico: Reportinwithoperations headquarters or dispatchers at every scheduled or non-scheduled stop, giving copi-ous details for location and next destination. Establishatimeperiodwith dispatcher/company per-sonnel for periodic sched-uled reports. Establishaduresscodefor the prescribed route that allows the driver to effec-tively communicate poten-tial problems in the pres-ence of potential criminals. Avoiddrivingonpotentially unsafe roads and stick to the toll () roads when-ever possible. Checkwithcellphone providers prior to departure to ensure the driver's cell phone is capable of roaming on GSM or 3G international networks. Truckdriverswitnessing potential criminal activities should call (888) 217-5902. Visit for more information. TsA PosTs MexicAN Border AlerT Jill DUnn May 2009 12 TrucKers News