(Grain Valley, Mo., Oct. 21, 2011) – As the first motor carrier crossed the border from Mexico today, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) remained positive that lawmakers in Congress will put a stop to the cross-border trucking pilot program with Mexico.

 “Lawmakers and truckers both know this the wrong plan at the wrong time,” said OOIDA’s Executive Vice President Todd Spencer. “It’s irresponsible and reckless and we hope Congress will follow through with legislation already introduced to put a stop to it.”

OOIDA remains unconvinced that U.S. taxpayers will benefit from supposed efficiencies that cross-border trucking proponents suggest will accompany the new program.

“Hundreds of millions of U.S. tax dollars have already been spent in an effort to make up for the safety and security shortcomings of Mexico’s system. At what point do we say enough is enough?” asked Spencer.

“While the rest of Washington talks about creating good jobs for Americans and cutting wasteful spending, the Administration did exactly the opposite with this program,” added Spencer. “Opening the border to Mexico will jeopardize the livelihoods of tens of thousands of U.S.  truckers and will undermine the standard of living for the rest of the driver community.”

Every year, U.S. truckers are burdened with new safety, security and environmental regulations. Those regulations come with considerable compliance costs. Mexico-domiciled trucking companies do not contend with a similar regulatory regime nor with the corresponding compliance costs.

The majority of trucking companies based in the United States are small businesses. As many as 93 percent of all motor carriers have fewer than 20 trucks in their fleets, and 78 percent of motor carriers have fleets of six or fewer trucks.  Owner-operator fleets averaging slightly more than one truck represent nearly half the total number of heavy-duty commercial trucks operated in the United States.  Those trucking companies and truck drivers must contend with ever-increasing safety, homeland security and environmental regulations that dramatically affect their costs of operation as well as their ability to make a living at their chosen profession.

“The onus is on Mexico to raise the safety, security and environmental standards for their trucking industry,” said Spencer. “We should not allow ourselves to be harassed or blackmailed into lowering ours.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the largest national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 151,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the Greater Kansas City, Mo., area.