Businesses Seek Resolution to Mexican Trucking Dispute; DOT Promises Proposal Soon

(World Trade Interactive)

A coalition of more than 100 companies and business and trade groups sent a letter recently to President Obama asking him to help resolve a long-running dispute with Mexico over the cross-border trucking provisions of NAFTA. The letter claimed that the $2.4 billion worth of retaliatory sanctions Mexico imposed against U.S. exports in 2009 in response to Congress’ termination of a pilot trucking program have cost the U.S. about 25,000 jobs. In addition, the letter said, many affected companies will not be able to endure the tariffs much longer, meaning that “more jobs will soon be lost.”

The coalition noted that a May 19 visit to the White House by Mexican President Felipe Calderon “will be an opportune time to finalize a resolution” to the trucking dispute. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood held out hope that progress could be made at that meeting when he told a Senate committee last week that the administration is “very close” to announcing a plan that will apparently include restarting the pilot program. LaHood made a similar claim earlier this year. Read more here.