On Labor Day, we ran a story about the courthouse tussle going on between the Teamsters and the Bush administration over opening up American highways to Mexican trucking firms who’ve earned permits from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Rhetoric was spouted on either side, under the pretext of everything from national security concerns and human smuggling fears to honoring NAFTA and upping the popularity of Yosemite Sam-cum-sombrero mudflaps. (We’re convinced everyone’s panties are in a bunch simply cuz good business for some is bad business for others.) It even got a rise out of a couple of our readers. Well, all the hullabaloo has petered out as Mexican truckers could be doing their thing on U.S. roads as early as Thursday—without upsetting the balance of the universe:

The heated rhetoric has melted into obscurity the fact that very few firms on either side of the border are interested. To date, 31 Mexican firms — with a maximum of 151 trucks — are poised for U.S. permits, and two-thirds of the firms are in Baja California.

So sleep tight, folks, and don’t let the Teamsters bite.

Mexican trucks poised to ride into U.S. [USA Today]
Image [Google]
Earlier, For Labor Day, President Bush Pisses Off Truckers On Both Sides Of the Border