Mexican Trucks

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed in 1993 to remove trade barriers between the U.S. and Canada/Mexico. From the outset, the agreement was opposed by labor unions who viewed it as a threat to American jobs, in particular, because it would allow inexpensively produced Mexican products to compete with American made goods. As a result, the labor unions, with support from the environmentalists and Public Citizen, filed suit against allowing Mexican trucks from traveling on American roads. They argued that Mexican trucks were older and more polluting and didn't meet clean air standards.

Monday, their argument was made moot. By a unanimous ruling,

[T]he Supreme Court said the president has authority to open the border, and a federal agency responsible for truck safety has no say in the matter. Thus, the agency was under no obligation to study environmental effects from opening the border, as a lower federal court had ordered.

The case, United States v. Public Citizen (03-358), is a defeat for the labor unions, however, it remains to be seen how the situation will play out. If American neighborhoods start seeing large numbers of proud Mexican smoke-belchers, I'm sure there will be some complaints.

On a personal note, I'm more concerned about the qualifications of the drivers than the trucks. Besides unfamiliarity with motor vehicle laws and the English language, the idea of having a cadre of big rig drivers, who have never seen a snowflake, on the road in Ohio in January scares me.