George W. Bush Drives 18 Wheeler: America Stays Home

Which side are you on?

In this corner are environmentalists, led by the Sierra Club, organized labor led by the Teamsters Union, and traffic safety experts.

In the other corner,  George W. Bush and the shadow of Bill Clinton.

Not hard to choose sides, not even knowing the issue.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans to open the nation's highways to Mexican trucks on September 1, 2007 for long hauls through America.  These trucks are not inspected for safety or emission controls the way U.S. trucks are examined. The drivers are not required to meet any of the training or health standards such as the drug testing required of most U.S. licensed haulers.

What a slap in the face to American workers - opening the highways to dangerous trucks on Labor Day weekend, one of the busiest driving weekends of the year," said Jim Hoffa, general president of the Teamsters.

Conservative and moderate bloogers have it right:

I actually agree with the Teamsters and the Sierra Club (an uncomfortable feeling to be sure). As one who lived in San Diego County for nearly ten years, you should see some of the vehicles that cross the border.

This sad NAFTA legacy of the Clinton Administration poses unregulated problems that go beyond safety and pollution:

• Many of the truckers do not read English.
• Most trucks will not be inspected for smuggling or terrorist activities.
• also:  Investigators noted problems with the database used to check Mexican drivers' records for traffic convictions in the United States — largely because Texas and New Mexico didn't properly report driver convictions to the federal 52nd State System that tracks Mexican drivers.
• Finally, Congress tried to slow this down last May with over four hundred members of the House of Representatives opposing this Bush proposal.

The matter is now in  Federal Court, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where there is hope that the Bush Administration will be enjoined before Monday, Labor Day.

It is no longer safe to fly through Minneapolis without the threat of Republicans lurking in the bathrooms. Now it's Bush on the highways.

Comments

[jody]

This is union-busting and wage-killing at it's finest. We have militia and walls built to keep the Mexicans out at the same time that a select group of workers are fast-tracked to drive down trucking wages. Unions, unless you are close to government - like teachers, or employed directly by government are done. The Teamsters don't have that much clout anymore, tons of drivers are non-union anyway. Some drivers make an okay wage but most often by putting in un-godly hours.

Today's roads are full of hazardous materials, drivers need to be fully trained. A leaking drum of strange fluid in the trailer can mean instant death or serious disability if a driver just opens the trailer to see what's leaking - loads are that dangerous. Many materials cannot even be legally hauled in the same load even when they are sealed.
Sure there are some hee-haw looking drivers out there, but your average trucker is NOT a moron but has spent a great deal of time in training and re-training (even post-911 "how to recognize a terrorist" training. and as parnoid a the Bushies are - these trucks aren't a terrroist threat? How easy would it be to use one - or a dozen - of the Mexican trucks as a terror weapon? Oklahama City anyone?)
So yeah, let's bring in some guys who can't even read road signs.

This whole thing is dumber than dumb.
You'll have unscrupulous companies with employees who are desperate to make a buck taking crazy chances and some innocent bystanders will eventually get hurt in a big way, and we can (once again) blame government ineptitude. But in the meantime, truckers wages will be driven down and some big wigs will make greater profits so that's the main thing right?
Just another thing we call watch fly by like survelliance and everything else - no one will stop it. Too busy thinking about what happens in mens' bathroom stalls

[jody]

...and my point on L Craig is, 800 more just like him will spring up in his place the second he gets cut down. Enjoy a moment I guess - another hypocrit pol (surprise!), but let's not act like his ouster is any kind of progress on any level whatsoever, with all the things we have swirling around the bowl and no one stopping any of it.

[Gary Phillips]

How many 18 Wheelers in America and then the world? Working on a plan to save them time stop to stop, phone cost, headaches.