OOIDA: USMCA Interim Rules Should be Adopted ASAP

OOIDA also supports funding request by U.S. International Trade Commission to implement USMCA

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association sent a joint message with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters encouraging the U.S. International Trade Commission to adopt interim rules to implement the provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. USMCA empowers the Commission to investigate whether the U.S. long-haul trucking industry is materially harmed by an increase in cross-border trucking services provided by Mexican suppliers.

USMCA was ratified earlier this year, establishing a thorough review process to restrict operating authority for Mexican-domiciled carriers. After decades of opposing the original provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement, OOIDA worked closely with other organizations over the past three years in a renegotiation process that resulted in USMCA.

“We believe prompt adoption of these interim rules will enhance and expedite the investigation process outlined in USMCA,” said OOIDA President, Todd Spencer. “Because Mexico-based trucking companies and drivers are not held to the same, rigorous U.S. safety and security regulations, they are endangering the American public and taking away jobs and profits from American drivers and carriers.”

OOIDA also reiterates support for the USITC’s funding request to implement USMCA. The USITC sent a letter to Congressional appropriators in July seeking a $2.75 million increase to its FY 2020 funding level.

OOIDA will continue working with USITC and other federal agencies on behalf of small-business truckers to ensure that cross-border trucking is a fair and mutually beneficial endeavor.

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