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By Staff -- Purchasing, 3/8/2001

The borders are opening to Mexican trucks. Let them roll in.

The Bush administration reversed former President Clinton's policy that barred Mexican trucks due to safety concerns. The ruling came the same day that a trade panel ruled that the U.S. violated the North American Free Trade Agreement by barring Mexican trucks from its roads.

This is potentially good news for shippers who turn to the United States trucking industry to move supplies to production lines and finished goods out the door. Until now, these manufacturers have had to turn to an industry that has been woefully short of drivers, and goods being passed through the border of Mexico had to be transferred to other vehicles on the other side.

Not now. With the new policy, trucks from Mexico will be able to travel anywhere in the four border states, and eventually anywhere in the U.S. That's what NAFTA originally intended.

The move should pump much-needed efficiency into the supply chain as it cuts transfer time and subsequent costs out of the system.