Calderón presses Obama on Cross-border trucking

The United States is committed to resolving a festering cross-border trucking dispute with Mexico, President Barack Obama told Mexican President Felipe Calderón at the recent North American Leaders' Summit in Guadelajara, Mexico.

Trucking was one of several issues raised at the summit, which focused on Mexico's drug war, the economy and health and energy issues.

While it's not high on Washington's agenda, cross-border trucking is a hot topic in Mexico, which imposed $2.4 billion in retaliatory tariffs when Congress canceled a Bush-era pilot project that gave a select group of Mexican carriers access to U.S. highways beyond the border commercial zone.

Mexico's ambassador to the United States last week told Reuters his government wants a resolution by the end of the year.

Obama said the White House would work with Congress to address concerns over Mexican safety requirements.

The White House and Department of Transportation have been working on a new cross-border trucking program since March, but face a tough audience in Congress. The Teamsters and consumer groups also oppose allowing Mexican trucks to operate beyond the border commercial zone.

Meanwhile, U.S. food producers and manufacturers say Mexico's tariffs could cost them millions of dollars and eliminate U.S. jobs.

The 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement required the U.S., Mexico and Canada to open their roads to each others' carriers.

U.S. and Canadian carriers enjoy fairly open access to each other's markets, though neither can haul goods from point to point within the other country. Mexican carriers may only make deliveries within a border commercial zone, and must exchange other freight with third parties or U.S. carriers.

Source: Journal of Commerce