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08-28-2007, 10:20 AM
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18750357&BRD=2290&PAG=461&dept_id=569392&rfi=6
Truckers must talk English
By MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV and VICENTE RANGEL, LAREDO MORNING TIMES
08/26/2007
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A commercial truck driver from Monterrey who has crossed Laredos international bridges countless times was stunned earlier this month when he received a ticket from U.S. inspectors because he cant speak English."We were worried," said Samuel Tamez Treviño, owner of the truck that was driven by Rafael Segovia. "We consulted with attorneys. We were somewhat relieved when they told us it would be treated as a warning. But now what are we supposed to do?"
Tamez Treviño, whose transportation company is in Montemorelos, is concerned that his drivers may be unable or unwilling to learn English, considering that even a short, intense course to learn the basics can take five months.
Segovia, who was back home and unavailable for comment, was handed the citation on Aug. 2 at about 4:45 p.m. at the Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge. He also was cited for having non-working brake lights and a leaky hydraulic hose, which are fairly routine violations.
Tamez Treviño said hes never heard of any law requiring that his drivers know English. Many company owners dont speak English, let alone their workers, many of whom dont even have a high school education.
The law requiring that Mexican truckers coming into the United States speak English has been on the books for years, but it has taken on renewed significance with the coming implementation of a new provision that will allow up to 100 Mexican carriers to go beyond the border zone. It also will allow up to 100 U.S. carriers to go deep into Mexico with their loads.
While many international trade supporters praise the move as long overdue and a natural outgrowth of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the plan has many critics, including labor leaders and some U.S. transportation companies who fear the Mexican trucks will be unsafe and create unnecessary risks on U.S. highways.
Nevertheless, a demonstration project is set to begin within a few weeks, allowing Mexican carriers that have passed the required safety audit to take their trucks onto U.S. roads.
Mexican truckers have their own complaints.
"Theyre already bothering us in the United States and it hasnt even started," said Luis Moreno Sesma, president of the Nuevo Laredo branch of Canacar, a national association of transportation company owners. "Its not fair to require English in the commercial (border) zone."
Federal transportation officials in Laredo declined to comment, but a spokeswoman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in Washington said truck drivers who are working only in the border commercial zone may be found in violation of the law for not being able to communicate in English but wont be stopped from crossing.
Those truck drivers who are headed past the border commercial zone, however, will not be allowed to continue their trip if they cant speak English, the spokeswoman said.
"The Mexican drivers may receive citations," said the spokeswoman, who declined to give her name, "but that doesnt mean they have to stop working."
Asked why the Mexican drivers werent given notice about the plan to start enforcing the law, the spokeswoman said Mexican authorities have been fully aware of the plan for some time. The Ministry of Communications and Transportation was involved in creating the demonstration program thats set to start soon.
"Whether the Mexican government has or has not informed the drivers about this law, well, thats something we cant answer for them," she said.
For his part, Moreno Sesma said transportation company owners should form an alliance to seek help from Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernández Flores.
The leader said he can see the need for drivers heading into the U.S. interior to know English, but insisted that regulation shouldnt apply to those who only drive in the border commercial zone.
(To reach Miguel Timoshenkov call 728-2583 or timo1@lmtonline.com. Laredo Morning Times staffer Norma Mendiola contributed to this report.)
Truckers must talk English
By MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV and VICENTE RANGEL, LAREDO MORNING TIMES
08/26/2007
email this storyEmail to a friendpost a commentPost a Commentprinter friendlyPrinter-friendly
A commercial truck driver from Monterrey who has crossed Laredos international bridges countless times was stunned earlier this month when he received a ticket from U.S. inspectors because he cant speak English."We were worried," said Samuel Tamez Treviño, owner of the truck that was driven by Rafael Segovia. "We consulted with attorneys. We were somewhat relieved when they told us it would be treated as a warning. But now what are we supposed to do?"
Tamez Treviño, whose transportation company is in Montemorelos, is concerned that his drivers may be unable or unwilling to learn English, considering that even a short, intense course to learn the basics can take five months.
Segovia, who was back home and unavailable for comment, was handed the citation on Aug. 2 at about 4:45 p.m. at the Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge. He also was cited for having non-working brake lights and a leaky hydraulic hose, which are fairly routine violations.
Tamez Treviño said hes never heard of any law requiring that his drivers know English. Many company owners dont speak English, let alone their workers, many of whom dont even have a high school education.
The law requiring that Mexican truckers coming into the United States speak English has been on the books for years, but it has taken on renewed significance with the coming implementation of a new provision that will allow up to 100 Mexican carriers to go beyond the border zone. It also will allow up to 100 U.S. carriers to go deep into Mexico with their loads.
While many international trade supporters praise the move as long overdue and a natural outgrowth of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the plan has many critics, including labor leaders and some U.S. transportation companies who fear the Mexican trucks will be unsafe and create unnecessary risks on U.S. highways.
Nevertheless, a demonstration project is set to begin within a few weeks, allowing Mexican carriers that have passed the required safety audit to take their trucks onto U.S. roads.
Mexican truckers have their own complaints.
"Theyre already bothering us in the United States and it hasnt even started," said Luis Moreno Sesma, president of the Nuevo Laredo branch of Canacar, a national association of transportation company owners. "Its not fair to require English in the commercial (border) zone."
Federal transportation officials in Laredo declined to comment, but a spokeswoman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in Washington said truck drivers who are working only in the border commercial zone may be found in violation of the law for not being able to communicate in English but wont be stopped from crossing.
Those truck drivers who are headed past the border commercial zone, however, will not be allowed to continue their trip if they cant speak English, the spokeswoman said.
"The Mexican drivers may receive citations," said the spokeswoman, who declined to give her name, "but that doesnt mean they have to stop working."
Asked why the Mexican drivers werent given notice about the plan to start enforcing the law, the spokeswoman said Mexican authorities have been fully aware of the plan for some time. The Ministry of Communications and Transportation was involved in creating the demonstration program thats set to start soon.
"Whether the Mexican government has or has not informed the drivers about this law, well, thats something we cant answer for them," she said.
For his part, Moreno Sesma said transportation company owners should form an alliance to seek help from Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernández Flores.
The leader said he can see the need for drivers heading into the U.S. interior to know English, but insisted that regulation shouldnt apply to those who only drive in the border commercial zone.
(To reach Miguel Timoshenkov call 728-2583 or timo1@lmtonline.com. Laredo Morning Times staffer Norma Mendiola contributed to this report.)