Border Lines

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 5/1/1998

"For those of you who are about to give up on NAFTA, please do not." That plea for patience came from Bernard Gaillard, director of the U.S. DOT's Office of International Trade and Transportation. Gaillard and his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, Kristine Burr and Jose Aguilar Alcérreca, spoke during the recent Transporte Internacional conference in San Antonio about the United States' unilateral delay in opening the U.S.-Mexico border states to trucks from both countries, ostensibly over safety concerns. Both Gaillard and Aguilar said they remained optimistic that the issue soon would be resolved, pointing to the upcoming meeting of NAFTA transportation ministers later this month. Burr was more cautious, noting that uncertainty over the issue had hindered progress in other transportation-related negotiations. She declined to comment on a possible timetable for the border opening.