WASHINGTON — The trucking industry associations of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. have issued a joint statement urging their governments to modernize and renew the North American Free Trade Agreement.
"We strongly encourage our governments to update NAFTA to keep North America competitive internationally," said the American Trucking Associations, the Canadian Trucking Alliance and the Camara Nacional Del Autotransporte de Carga (CANACAR) in a statement issued Oct. 23.
"Motor carriers haul the vast majority of the value of trade across our borders, which has benefited the North American supply chain for everything from autos to agriculture to pharmaceuticals," the associations said.
"In this endeavor, making border crossings and rules governing international commercial transportation more efficient is a crucial element that will only help our industries make North American stronger," they said.
The trucking associations' statement follows the July 13 statement from automotive aftermarket associations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, also supporting the renewal, expansion and modernization of NAFTA.
"A sizable number of citizens of all three countries do at least some shopping online, and one of NAFTA's largest shortcomings is its lack of e-commerce provisions that protect and promote cross-border transactions," said the statement signed by the Auto Care Association, the Auto Industries Association of Canada and the Asociation Nacional De Representantes, Importadores y Distribuidores de Refacciones y Accesorios Para Automoviles A.C.
On Oct. 17, the governments of the three nations decided to take a break and extend NAFTA negotiations into 2018, causing concern that negotiations eventually would fail. Canadian and Mexican negotiators objected to U.S. proposals on issues such as government procurement, textiles and fresh produce.