Can High-Tech Ease Cargo Congestion at the Border?

Can High-Tech Ease Cargo Congestion at the Border?



Transportation: Mexican Trucks Allowed Past Commercial Zones

BY MANDY JACKSON



Staff Writer

The U.S. government is now allowing Mexican trucks to carry cargo past commercial zones near the border.






However, there are already hundreds of cargo trucks that access the border daily and spend hours in line for inspections before they are able to cross.






Soon, the California Department of Transportation and other agencies concerned with traffic, safety and security at the border will consider technology proposals for the U.S.-Mexico border crossing in Otay Mesa.






“The emphasis is to move cargo through the port of entry quicker and without compromising law enforcement requirements,” according to Caltrans border liaison Jose Ornelas.






After a 20-year moratorium, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently began processing about 150 applications from Mexican trucking and bus companies seeking permission to carry cross-border cargo and travelers in the United States.






In order to receive permits, trucks must comply with U.S. safety standards and insurance requirements.






Since 1982, Mexican trucks have only been allowed to travel in the United States in commercial zones that extend 3 to 20 miles outside of the limits of U.S. cities along the border.






Using a $1 million grant and 20 percent matching funds from Caltrans, the department is studying technology that could shorten the time trucks spend waiting to cross the border. Caltrans is working with a private consultant and researchers from the University of California’s Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) program, which researches traffic solutions.






There Are Doubts






According to Bill Hay, president of Bill Hay International Inc. in Otay Mesa, the Department of Transportation puts strict regulations on trucks operating in the United States, which many Mexican trucks do not meet.






Hay said there is really no need for Mexican trucks to travel past the commercial zones.






His company runs an average of 500 to 600 trailers serving Mexico each month and operates within the 48 contiguous states.






U.S. trucking companies cannot run trucks into Mexico. They drop trailers at locations near the border and Mexican carriers pick up the loads and haul them across the border.






Out of 30,000 Mexican trucking companies, Hay said he would be surprised if three of them decide to operate beyond the commercial zones.






“There’s still a lot of opposition on both sides of the border,” said Armando Freire, president and owner of Dimex Freight Systems.






In accordance with NAFTA, which was signed in 1992 and went into effect in 1994, both countries were supposed to open their borders for cargo trucks. When President Clinton decided not to open the U.S. border, the Mexican government did the same.






“If I were a betting man, I would bet this is not going to get resolved anytime soon,” Freire said.






The California Trucking Association and U.S. labor unions oppose Mexican trucks operating beyond commercial zones.






“Economically, we have the potential of getting hurt,” Freire said.






Mexican competition would use older equipment and have lower business costs, so they could offer lower transportation rates, Freire said.






Mexican trucking companies’ business costs are about two-thirds of their U.S. counterparts because they do not have to pay for liability and workers’ compensation insurance, he said. Also, Mexican truckers’ salaries are about half of American salaries.






“There’s a tremendous amount of business for the American shipper. You just have to do your homework,” Hay said.






Business at Hay International was up about 50 percent in 2002 from the previous year.






“This NAFTA thing is working out well for everybody. This transportation issue should have never been a part of it,” he said.






Working In Tandem






The study by Caltrans, PATH, and their private consultant consisted of interviewing agencies that handle inspections and security at the border, such as the U.S. Customs Service and Immigration and Naturalization Service and their Mexican counterparts.






Researchers also talked to businesses, such as maquiladoras, customs brokerages and trucking companies.






The next step is to present alternatives that would use existing technology to representatives of U.S. and Mexican agencies at the border, Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Governments, a regional transportation planning agency. That will most likely take place later this month or early in February, Ornelas said.






Based on input and requirements from the agencies at the border, Caltrans officials will select or adapt existing technology to implement at the border.






According to Hamed Benouar, a deputy director at PATH, the technology includes pre-screening of drivers and cargo. Trucks would still be subject to random inspections.






That option is similar to a program recently initiated by the U.S. Customs Service. The Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism would require background checks for everyone in the supply chain, including trucks, drivers and cargo.






The recommendations in the Caltrans and PATH study call for all of the agencies to work together on pre-screening and sharing information, rather than one agency implementing new technology.