Under NAFTA, Mexican trucks should have already been granted full access to the U.S., but it was then president Bill Clinton who restricted them to a 25 mile commercial zone because of safety concerns. Many safety issues still exist today despite assurances by the Department of Transportation that all Mexican trucks will be pre-screened before crossing the border. The Teamsters Union and others don't believe that the pilot project has complied with all the congressional requirements that were to be met. In an effort to try and block the program, the Teamsters along with Public Citizen and the Sierra Club filed suit. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to temporarily block the demonstration program which could begin as early as September 6.

Many feel that all the safety issues have not been addressed or resolved, and what they are simply asking for is that Mexican trucks and drivers meet the same requirements as their American counterparts. Teamsters Union spokesperson Leslie Miller said, “Just because we have a free trade agreement doesn't mean people can come to our country and do business in a way that doesn't meet our standards.” Mexico lacks any effective safety standards for their drivers or trucks and has no reliable national criminal or driving database. They also have no accurate drug or alcohol policy in place and no certified testing facility. Also worrisome is that these same drivers and trucks will be granted access across the border in as little as 15 seconds as part of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Free and Secure Trade System. Teamsters president James Hoffa said of the pilot project, “We believe this program clearly breaks the law. We will continue to fight for safety and national security in the courts and in the Congress.”

There are to be 100 Mexican trucking companies participating in this pilot program, which is scheduled to last one year. In light of the time constraints and the number of trucks involved in the program, it may not serve as an adequate assessment of possible safety, security, and environmental concerns. Josh Dorner of the Sierra Club said, “There isn't enough evidence that the proposed pilot program will yield statistically valid results.” In this whole process, the stumbling block for some was the condition that American trucks be granted the same access to Mexico, and it appears as if new rules have been implemented to make this become a reality. A big concern of mine has always been when this program becomes fully implemented and they attempt to make it permanent, it could put thousands of American truckers out of work and severely undercut wages. This demonstration program is part of NAFTA and the corporate NAU agenda of further opening up our borders.

Millions of dollars is being spent upgrading deep water ports on Mexico's Pacific coast. The goal is to have more Chinese containers entering the U.S. from Mexico and to have them unloaded by cheap labor and avoid ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach. Texas ports in Houston and Corpus Christi are also expected to see an increased flow of containers from China. The Texas Department of Transportation has designs of tying in the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) with these ports. The TTC is to be the first leg of a NAFTA Superhighway, and having new infrastructure in place will save costs and give China full access to the continental United States.

The Bush administration has said that any more delays in allowing Mexican trucks full access to the U.S could strain diplomatic relations with Mexico. It shouldn't be surprising that benefits to other countries and multinational corporations would come before our safety and best interests. In an effort to bypass union longshoremen on the West coast, Mexican ports are being upgraded and will allow for more Chinese goods to enter the U.S. cheaper and faster. Don't think for a second that these savings will be passed on to consumers as this is another measure to ensure big corporate profits. James Hoffa stated, “They basically want to erase all the borders. This is big business that wants to be able to run stuff out of Mexico, which is much cheaper, into Canada and into the United States.” It's all about having open borders to allow for the freer flow of goods and cheap labor and this cross-border program is yet another step towards a North American Union.