FMCSA Chief: Mexico Plan Coming

Rose McMurray, acting head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, told Transport Topics the agency was hopeful of finding a resolution to the ongoing trade row between the U.S. and Mexico over longhaul truck access.

McMurray’s optimism came after a study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that the failure of the United States to implement the provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement allowing for Mexican truck access have cost the economy thousands of jobs and billions of dollars.

“Hopefully, something will get resolved in the next few months,” McMurray told TT after speaking at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual meeting in Baltimore Sept. 21.

The Chamber study found that “the net negative impact” of the tariffs imposed by Mexico and the added costs involved in shipping between the two countries because longhaul trips are prohibited is $2.6 billion.

The business group also estimated that the failure to implement the NAFTA provisions and the tariffs have cost the U.S. 25,600 jobs.