There's a story in the Sunday LA Times' Travel section (10-14) which details one American motorist's 
scary run-in with Mexican cops which was nothing short of a shake-down for cash. The story runs below, but some background is necessary as to why we are running this piece and think it is important for the entire country, not only the states which share the border with Mexico. (Photo --- Mexico street scene).
Several weeks ago, it was announced that Mexican big rigs would be allowed unfettered access to American highways. Although it was part of the NAFTA treaty, President Clinton decided to not institute the part of the treaty allowing the Mexican trucks and their drivers and their loads all over America; he limited them to a 25-mile zone north of the US/Mexico border. The truckers would then drop their loads at warehouses within that 25 mile zone and head back to their home country. American trucks and their drivers would then pick-up the loads and deliver them to their destinations in the US.
Many people, including those who run this website, see many potential problems with allowing the Mexican trucks and their drivers complete freedom to be on US roadways. Safety is perhaps the biggest concern; those of you who have traveled to Mexico have no doubt marveled at how so many of their big rig trucks seem ready to fall apart and are frankly frightening when one thinks about their brake systems, trailer-pulling ability, lighting systems, etc. Also many worry about the skills of the truck's drivers; are they subject to and familiar with the rules which govern big rigs and their drivers in the US? We think these are reasonable concerns.
An interview I did on my radio show with our area's state assemblyman, John Benoit, revealed just how serious this situation is. Benoit is the former head of the California Highway Patrol for the desert area in which we live, from Palm Springs, CA, south and east towards the Mexican border. He's in a unique position to judge whether implementation of this particular part of the NAFTA treaty is a good, safe idea. He's against it for the one major reason many others are: Safety and quality of the Mexican trucks. He told my audience that the only Mexican trucks that could possibly be inspected, due to the CHP's manpower, would be "those which are obviously falling apart". He said that even though the Treaty calls for inspections of the Mexican trucks at the border (and for American trucks going into Mexico due to the reciprocal agreement the Treaty puts into effect), that it is simply impossible, given the number of CHP truck specialists available, to give the trucks anything more than a cursory going over, not much more than a visual inspection.
For running this information, we received several e-mails calling us "racist" and claiming that Mexican big rigs are in better shape then those in the US, and that Mexican truck drivers are more highly-skilled and better-trained then those in America. I asked those e-mailers to send us more information on those statements so we could run it here for everyone to see; I never heard back from any of them. (Photo --- Gateway arch; entrance to Mexico in Tijuana).
There's another huge reason that President Bush has decided to allow the Mexican trucks into the US: To drive down the wages of the unionized American truck drivers of the Teamsters Union. The Mexican drivers do not make anywhere near the level of American drivers, and certainly not even approaching the level of a union driver. The truck fleet owners figure that if the Mexican trucks and drivers have wide-open access to this market, then companies who hire trucks to carry their items will start to look for trucks and drivers which will operate for less money. If that happens to enough truckers for a long-enough period of time, American truck drivers will be priced out of their own profession.
Here's the article from the LA TIMES detailing what can happen to Americans on Mexican roadways ... and for someone like me, who has lived near the border for almost 40 years and visited Mexico many times --- without any problems with the police --- This kind of story does not surprise me, and won't surprise anyone who has visited Mexico or knows people who have. Remember, an important part of the NAFTA Treaty is the reciprocal agreement which calls for Mexico's roadways to be wide-open to US truckers. But if even the POLICE in Mexico are stealing from American tourists, what types of hijackings and other crimes might our truckers have to look forward to, especially those who regularly travel with members of their family in the cab with them?
ON THE SPOT
Caution tourists, Mexican police not above extortion
A few tips on how to protect yourself when south of the border.
Question: On a recent crossing from Mexico back to the U.S., I was stopped for an alleged traffic infraction in Tijuana. The police ended up taking me to an ATM, where I withdrew $500 in cash. Then they then let me go. What could I have done?
--Rob Gonzalez, Claremont
Answer: The letters we receive often deal with broken promises (by airlines, hotels and other travel providers), bad treatment (by airlines, hotels and other travel providers) and unruly behavior (by everybody).
But this goes way beyond unruly. It is maddening at best and frightening at worst.
At least it was when it happened to me about three years ago. My travel mate and I got stopped for "impeding traffic." We were lucky this was the only charge. Others have reported being falsely accused of drinking or having drugs. We got off for a mere $40 donation to the "Tijuana Policemen's Fund."
Alas, this is one of the dirty little secrets of travel. Extortion of tourists happens more often than is reported. It's not confined to Mexico, of course, but because so many of us cross the border so often, whether to enjoy Baja's beaches or to shop, we may get our turn on the horns of this dilemma. (Photo --- Trucks crossing the US/Mexico border).
And some people worry that new Mexican traffic laws, which went into effect this summer and allow drivers 
to be cited for, among other things, not wearing seat belts, for talking on cellphones or for having windows tinted too darkly, may increase your chances of a fraudulent ticket. The new laws, they think, are just another vehicle for officers to supplement their incomes.
The problem is so prevalent in Mexico that the State Department's consular information sheet acknowledges it: "In some instances, Americans have become victims of harassment, mistreatment and extortion by Mexican law enforcement and other officials. . . . In some cases, assailants have been wearing full or partial police uniforms and have used vehicles that resemble police vehicles, indicating some elements of the police might be involved. . . . Tourists should be wary of persons representing themselves as police officers or other officials. When in doubt, ask for identification."
So how do you protect yourself if you get stopped for an "infraction"?
"Try to get the name and badge number and specifics" about the officer, said Michele Bond, deputy assistant secretary for Overseas Citizen Services. (This might also be a new use for the camera on your cellphone.) The traveler also should ask for a copy of the citation, she said.
You also can offer to accompany the officer to the police station to settle the matter. This is said to discourage a phony citation.
If you're in a hurry you may be tempted to offer a "donation" to the "Policemen's Fund."
Before you do, remember that trying to bribe an officer is a crime, so you may want to reconsider trying to buy your way out of trouble. That's one purchase it may not pay to make south of the border.
-30-
(Photo --- Teamsters Union members protest NAFTA Treaty; but this isn't a political issue as much as being about safety and the economy --- Many see implementation of this part of NAFTA as a way to lower the wages of American big rig truck drivers).
Besides having resided in Mexico for more than 10 years, I have 32 years on the road as an American trucker with well over 2,000,000 accident free miles.
People tend to point to the border shuttle trucks as evidence of the entire Mexican transportation industry. This could not be the furthest from the truth.
Line haul companies in Mexico have late model rigs exactly like their American counterparts. (photos on my site) They might not have all the fancy chrome and idiots lights hung all over them, and they might be a little dirty from road grime, but under the hood, under the chassis, they are safe and well maintained.
I disagree with John Benoits contention that there are not enough Safety inspectors to deal with the additional rigs.
At present, there are 15 Mexican rigs entitled to operate in the US. 30 American rigs are cleared to operate in Mexico.
Both countries trucks have identical reciprocity with one another.
And it is a fact, that each Mexican rig in the program is visually inspected, the drivers documents scrutinized by Federal and State authorities each time the rig with the special DOT numbers crosses the border. These are indisputable facts.
But let's take a moment and hypothesize. Forget about the few Mexican carriers authorized and who will be authorized. Let's say the program shuts down tomorrow.
Should this happen, the same amount of freight in trailers will cross the border, 3.5 million crossings a year in Texas alone. With or without the Mexican truckers, the alleged risks will still be there.
Yet by denying funding for the Pilot Program, you are also cutting funding for some 300 additional State and Federal inspectors who have been hired to oversee these 15 trucks which potentially will number 175 when the program is in full operation. These will be jobs lost and safety of all trucks, Mexican border trucks and US carriers will have far less oversight.
The reason for the opposition to the Pilot Program is a lot of protectionism and a hint of racism. We don't hear the same outcry about the Canadians as we do the Mexicans. Oh, we did at first, but that quickly died once people found other things to complain about.
Driving a truck takes a certain amount of skill and that skill has nothing to do with your ability to speak English nor the color of ones skin. And yes, in some ways, Mexican drivers are superior to a majority of American drivers. You don't hear Mexican drivers on the border yelling for hookers and drugs in the truck stops at night. And over here in Texas, when you see them on the highway, they're in the right lane, doing the speed limit and minding their own business.
The only complaint I have about them is they can't seem to find the dimmer switch at times.
Posted by: Porter Corn | October 19, 2007 at 07:51 PM