September brings a new round of negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement. One group keeping an eye on how things progress is the American Trucking Associations. Bob Costello, Chief Economist, and Senior Vice President says the truckers have a big stake in the outcome. Since NAFTA was first implemented, truckers now move 71 percent of the total goods traded between the U.S. and Canada
While the trucking industry is an “indirect beneficiary” of NAFTA, it’s been a boon to the industry
Agricultural commodities are an important part of the products truckers move between the three countries. The trucking industry takes the same position as most of the agriculture when it comes to the negotiations, which is “do no harm”
There are other tweaks to NAFTA the truckers would be in favor of
Adding that to the NAFTA agreement would allow trucking companies from all three countries to operate much more efficiently.
Audio with Bob Costello, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the American Trucking Associations
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.