Release the Brakes on NAFTA

A five-member panel of the North American Free Trade Assn. has unanimously ruled the United States out of compliance with alliance rules in denying Mexican truckers permission to cross the border and deliver their goods inside the U.S.

The panel, composed of two Americans, two Mexicans and a British chairman, said Washington had the prerogative to impose safety standards on any truck entering the country but must consider each applicant on its merits. In other words, there is no justification to deny entry to any Mexican truck in compliance with federal and state safety standards that apply to U.S. trucks.

The Bush administration should honor the NAFTA panel’s decision. During the debate nearly a decade ago on the free trade agreement, Washington successfully insisted on allowing free travel of trucks on both sides of the border as long as they met mutual safety standards. Subsequently, then-President Bill Clinton, influenced by the powerful Teamsters Union, declared all Mexican trucks unsafe and countermanded the NAFTA ruling. Currently Mexican truckers can drive only about 20 miles north of the border and then must transfer their loads to U.S. trucks. With bilateral trade at $250 billion a year, this delay causes big problems for truckers and consumers alike.

Meeting U.S. safety standards won’t be easy for Mexican trucks, which on average are older than American trucks. Codes vary from state to state, and California’s are very strict. So far, about 184 Mexican trucking companies have applied for permission to deliver loads across the U.S. border.

Under NAFTA rules, Mexican trucking companies’ fleets would be inspected by U.S. agents. The details, including frequency of inspections, are yet to be worked out. If Washington and Mexico City support NAFTA, and both insist they do, it’s time that they agree on sensible safety standards and get the trucks rolling.