REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE MARY PETERS
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

MEDIA EVENT ON MEXICAN TRUCK PILOT PROGRAM WITH SECRETARY GUTIERREZ AND SECRETARY TELLEZ
WASHINGTON, DC

OCTOBER 17, 2007
1:15 PM

Good afternoon. Thank you for taking the time to come and see first-hand the truth about our cross border trucking demonstration program.

I am honored to have with me two distinguished Secretaries, United States Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Secretary Luis Tellez who runs the Department of Communications and Transportation for the Government of Mexico.

Secretary Tellez is here to talk about the approach we have been taking since early September with our cross border truck demonstration program. He is meeting with members of Congress about the program and explaining how it allows U.S. trucks into Mexico for the first time, lowers costs for consumers, and expands trade all while keeping our highways safe.

Some no doubt are asking why Secretary Tellez would visit Washington when so many in Congress have voted to deny funding for this program.

The answer is that Secretary Tellez understands Congress needs to hear facts, instead of the fiction some opponents are spreading. He realizes that telling them the truth is the best way to counter the distortions of a few special interest groups. And, most importantly, he knows that anyone who takes a good look at the cross border trucking program will see there is no legitimate reason to oppose it.

Thanks to the $500 million that Congress has appropriated for cross border trucking since 1994, we have hundreds of highly-trained inspectors, dozens of state-of-the art facilities, and rigorous new requirements all designed to do one thing – make sure every truck, every company, and every driver from Mexico that participates in this program meets every U.S. safety standard, without exception.
Meanwhile, the economics of this program show just why we must continue giving U.S. truck drivers the chance to compete in Mexico and U.S. consumers the opportunity to save.

From the small Baptist church in North Carolina that has more money to spend to the family-run trucking company in El Paso that is adding new customers in Mexico, this program is cutting the cost of consumer products like building materials and giving U.S. companies greater opportunities to compete.

Today Secretary Gutierrez and I are joining with our colleague and friend Luis Tellez in making sure Congress hears the truth about this trucking project. We want to convince Congress that tough safety standards and rigorous inspections work and that trucks participating in this program will have the same features, the same upkeep, and the same commitment to safety that any U.S. truck has.

The two trucks behind me are proof. The one on my left is a U.S. truck. The one on my right is from Mexico and was the first truck admitted into this demonstration project. As you can see, they are virtually identical. That is no coincidence. The truck from Mexico has the same safety features as the truck from the U.S because it has to.

As Members meet and discuss the Department’s spending legislation, I am asking that they remove the restrictive language denying funds for this program. With a change of just a few words, Congress can show that we can trade with the world, keep our highways safe, and our companies competitive at the same time.

Thank you and now I would like to ask Secretary Tellez to make some remarks.

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