VZCZCXRO8243
PP RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHMC #0367 0872225
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 282225Z MAR 07
FM AMCONSUL MONTERREY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1937
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 2714
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHMC/AMCONSUL MONTERREY 7077

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTERREY 000367 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  3/28/2017 
TAGS: ELTN ECIN ETRD ECON PGOV MX
SUBJECT: CANACAR SAYS MEMBERS WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN CROSS-BORDER 
TRUCKING PILOT 
 
REF: A:  MONTERREY 225  B: 2006 MEXICO 6368 C: 2004 MEXICO 9321 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Luis Moreno, CG, Monterrey, DOS. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
¶1.  (C)  On March 27, EconOff met with Magdalena Diaz, Director 
of the Nuevo Leon Chapter of the National Chamber of Cargo 
Transportation (CANACAR), and Raul Trevino of Transportes Aguila 
de Oro (TAO), a CANACAR-member trucking company headquartered in 
Monterrey.  In anticipation of the CANACAR National Assembly 
meeting in Mexico City on March 28, EconOff was invited by 
Director Diaz to view a presentation outlining why, according to 
her, no CANACAR members will be participating in the 
cross-border trucking pilot program, which was announced on 
February 23.  NOTE.  Reftel A details EconOff's February 27 
meeting with Monterrey-based CANACAR members to discuss their 
reaction to the pilot program.  END NOTE. 
 
¶2.  (C)  In addition to the concerns CANACAR previously 
expressed to EconOff (reftel A), Diaz and Trevino said that 
Mexican trucking companies are most concerned that they will be 
held financially and legally liable for their drivers' actions. 
In particular, they expressed their fear that drug cartels and 
smuggling rings will coerce drivers into carrying illegal 
immigrants and contraband (including money, weapons, narcotics, 
and precursors for manufacturing drugs like methamphetamines) 
back and forth across the border.  Trevino couched it in these 
terms: "Participating in the pilot [program] is like announcing 
to the Mexican mafias, 'Hey - we can take your drugs and people 
directly from Monterrey to San Antonio!'  They will come after 
our drivers and once they come after you, there's nothing you 
can do. And what happens when one of our drivers gets caught on 
the border or in the U.S. with these people or drugs? The 
[trucking company owner] will be held responsible and will be 
put out of business.  We have a responsibility to our customers, 
employees, and shareholders not to let that happen." 
 
¶3. (C)  Director Diaz went on to speculate that, because of the 
risks associated with sending Mexican drivers to the U.S., the 
only trucking companies that will actually participate in the 
pilot program are small, single owner-operator companies that 
have fewer people (i.e. shareholders and employees) to whom they 
are financially and legally responsible.  She added that none of 
these small trucking companies are CANACAR members, including 
Olympic Transport, the company selected to participate in the 
February 22 pilot inspection event. 
 
¶4. (U)  On March 28, Mexican media reported that CANACAR 
president Tirso Martinez had requested that members of Congress 
and the Undersecretary of Transportation Manuel Rodriguez 
postpone the implementation of the pilot program.  CANACAR 
expressed its worry that Mexican companies will not be able to 
compete effectively with American trucking companies, in Mexico 
or in the United States.  It has also alleged that Mexican 
drivers will face discrimination because the 22 criteria set by 
U.S. Congress in 2002 will be applied to Mexican companies 
seeking to function in the United States and not to U.S. 
companies in Mexico. 
 
¶5. (C)  COMMENT.  An official of the Secretariat of 
Communications and Transportation (SCT) confirmed to EmbOff that 
CANACAR had made statements intimating that none of its members 
would participate in the pilot program.  The official also said, 
however, that he had spoken to at least one CANACAR member that 
plans to continue with its application for the pilot program, 
and he expects other CANACAR members to do as well.  As the 
official noted, CANACAR has never been fully on board with the 
pilot program or a full opening of the border to trucking, 
though March 27th's statements to Congress set forth their 
position much more explicitly than in the past.  Officials from 
SCT and the Secretary of Economy's office continuously engaged 
with CANACAR representatives throughout the lead up to the pilot 
program announcement. (Reftels B and C) CANACAR president 
Martinez even spoke at the February 22 announcement of the 
inspections program in Monterrey, at the request of SCT. SCT had 
hoped that including CANACAR in the discussions and in the event 
would dissuade the organization from coming out against the 
program so directly.  However, CANACAR's recent statements have 
not created a rupture, the SCT official said; an SCT 
representative is expected to speak at the CANACAR national 
assembly today.  Despite current measures in the U.S. Congress 
to postpone the program and CANCAR's statements, the SCT 
continues to move ahead with the pilot program, in coordination 
with the Department of Transportation and the Embassy.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
MORENO