Mexican truckers are said to be suing the US for US$6bn over Washington’s refusal to allow Mexican haulers onto its roads since March when US Congress ended a program that opened up US highways to some Mexican long-haul trucks, according to a report by Reuters.
About 4,500 trucking companies represented by Mexico’s National Cargo Transportation Association (Canacar) are involved in the lawsuit, according to Canacar.
Under the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada (NAFTA), the US agreed to let Mexican trucks use its highways beginning in 1995.
Mexican firms have remained confined to a narrow border area, according to Reuters, amid strong opposition from US labor unions and consumer groups that say Mexican truck safety standards are lax.
Since 2007, a pilot Cross-Border Trucking Demonstration Project had been in operation, which let about 100 Mexican trucks drive beyond the 25-mile commercial zone in the US.
However, the scheme was ditched in March this year and Mexico responded by slapping punitive tariffs on nearly 90 US export items, including grapes, pears, onions and other agricultural commodities, worth US$2.4bn.
The dispute raised fears of a trade war but Mexico has said it plans no further sanctions and will seek a negotiated solution to the impasse. Total trade between the US and Mexico was US$368bn last year, Reuters said.
The issue of allowing Mexican trucks into the US has been a sore point between the two nations for years.
A NAFTA tribunal ruled in 2001 the US had violated the treaty by restricting Mexican trucks to a narrow stretch along its border but Mexico opted not to impose sanctions at the time.
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