Canada ratifies USMCA, moving deal closer to reality

With all three countries having ratified the new deal, it should be about 90 days until U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is put in to force.

President Donald Trump signed USMCA on Jan. 29. Mexico ratified the agreement in December.

“Today, we are finally ending the NAFTA nightmare and signing into law the brand new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement,” Trump said in January. “The USMCA is the largest, fairest, most balanced and modern trade agreement ever achieved.”

Trump said USMCA will add 1.2% to the U.S. GDP and create “countless, new American jobs.”

The final text approved by Congress includes several provisions directly related to the trucking industry.

OOIDA welcomed the passage of USMCA in January.

“The enactment of USMCA is a long-awaited victory for American truckers,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said in a statement. “For the overwhelming majority of U.S. truckers, NAFTA has not been a benefit. We appreciate the Trump administration and the U.S. Congress for getting this done. We also want to thank OOIDA Board Member Johanne Couture for everything she did to assist with this process over the last couple of years.”

According to USMCA section 327, the U.S. Department of Transportation will compile a survey of Mexican carriers that have already been granted cross-border authority. DOT will have 180 days after USMCA goes into effect to do so. Within 60 days of that filing, the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation is required to “review the procedures and actions taken to determine whether each Mexico-domiciled motor carrier with any operating authority … is in compliance.”

Land Line Staff Writer Tyson Fisher contributed to this report.