BORDER LINES

A roundup of North American news:

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 8/1/1999

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has scored another win in its battle against a NAFTA provision that would allow Mexican truckers to handle cross-border cargo within the United States. At the union's urging, 258 members of Congress in late June signed a letter to President Clinton, asking him to maintain current restrictions on Mexican carriers operating in the United States. The letter, written by Representatives Jack Quinn (R-N.Y.) and James Oberstar (D-Minn.), charged that Mexican drivers' safety compliance had not improved since the border opening was delayed in 1995. "Until the United States and Mexico agree on comprehensive safety standards, establish and test effective enforcement programs, and staff border facilities with full-time inspectors," the letter stated, "current safeguards must remain firmly in place."