"It's just getting tougher and tougher everyday"
YAKIMA -- In just a couple weeks, local trucking companies will have to compete head-to-head with Mexican truckers. The latest proposal lets at least 100 trucking companies from our neighbors to the south travel over the border.
By all predictions, more competition for American trucking companies means more shipping options for consumers. It also means smaller profit margins for many small trucking companies here in the U.S.
"Now it's strictly dog-eat-dog," Tony Olson, a trucker who makes cross-country trips frequently, said. "It's just getting tougher and tougher everyday."
But people supporting this new plan say it's all a matter of fairness. Canadian trucks can come on in to America; Mexicans should be given the same priviliges.
Truckers that oppose the plan can't help but point out what's not fair about the new agreement, however. American trucks aren't allowed south until weeks after Mexican trucks start crossing into America.
Mean local trucking operators we talked with said the changes probably won't affect them in the near future, but may eventually make their business more efficient. Truckers working for Heyl Pacific in Yakima aren't allowed to deliver their goods in Mexico. Instead, they stop at the border and unload the products onto Mexican trucks. Workers we talked with said the changes could eventually allow them to make a full trip into Mexico, saving time and potentially improving their profits.
By all predictions, more competition for American trucking companies means more shipping options for consumers. It also means smaller profit margins for many small trucking companies here in the U.S.
"Now it's strictly dog-eat-dog," Tony Olson, a trucker who makes cross-country trips frequently, said. "It's just getting tougher and tougher everyday."
But people supporting this new plan say it's all a matter of fairness. Canadian trucks can come on in to America; Mexicans should be given the same priviliges.
Truckers that oppose the plan can't help but point out what's not fair about the new agreement, however. American trucks aren't allowed south until weeks after Mexican trucks start crossing into America.
Mean local trucking operators we talked with said the changes probably won't affect them in the near future, but may eventually make their business more efficient. Truckers working for Heyl Pacific in Yakima aren't allowed to deliver their goods in Mexico. Instead, they stop at the border and unload the products onto Mexican trucks. Workers we talked with said the changes could eventually allow them to make a full trip into Mexico, saving time and potentially improving their profits.
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