Mexican President Felipe Calderón is in Washington, D.C. this week to discuss issues and opportunities that exist between Mexico and the United States.

On May 19, Calderón and President Obama met to discuss a wide range of hot topics related to our shared border, including multinational criminal organizations, immigration, aviation security and trade. After the meeting concluded, the White House sent an official press release detailing the leaders’ shared goals for creating a Twenty-First Century Border Bilateral Executive Steering Committee.

In a joint press conference, Calderon said, “We talked about the different obstacles that are there for complying with transportation obligations that have been established at NAFTA — a situation that impacts jobs, companies and consumers in Mexico and in the United States.”

Obama said their new group is intended to create the, “first-ever binational 24-month plan of action to improve cross-border trade and travel.”

Information regarding their goals — and potential repercussions for the transportation industry — continues to develop, and Getloaded is here to ensure you know how these changes might affect your business.

To help jumpstart the dialogue, below is current information detailing trade and transportation goals both countries hope to accomplish:

• Expediting trade, while ensuring legal transit
• Reducing border delays and congestion, as well as the emissions from idling vehicles
• “Creation, expansion, or mutual recognition of ‘trusted shipper’ programs such as FAST and C-TPAT”
• Stopping illegal border flows through pre-screening, clearance and inspection of individuals and goods
• Developing a risk-management strategy that separates high- and low-risk individuals and shipments, with plans for repatriation (sending a person back to their home country) for people with criminal records

Despite NAFTA’s creation in 1995, advocates have contributed to regulations stalling cross-border trucking for years, because they fear Mexican drivers will take Americans’ jobs or use vehicles that don’t reflect our safety regulations. The new committee and focus could end these disputes and free trade in ways we’ve never before seen. And by increasing the number of trucks on the road, we could potentially help address the driver shortage that experts believe could reach 500,000 by next year.

But, we’re curious to know what you think:

Are you concerned about job security?

Will this development affect safety on the roads?

Do you believe they’re addressing the most pressing cross-border issues?