ARLINGTON, Va. – A trucking industry executive has warned the U.S. Congress that failure to quickly ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement would hurt the sector.

“Failing to pass the USMCA would have a negative impact on truck drivers along with the customers we serve across North America: manufacturers, farmers, retailers, and consumers,” Werner Enterprises president and CEO Derek Leathers told a congressional panel.

Leathers addressed the Senate Finance Committee on behalf of the American Trucking Associations.

“Ratification will provide certainty and usher in a new era of increased innovation, more good-paying American jobs, and sustained economic growth,” he told the panel.

Leathers highlighted the importance of trade with Mexico and Canada to the U.S. trucking industry, which moves roughly 76% of all goods that are shipped between the three countries.

“Every day, there are 33,000 truck entries across our northern and southern borders — hauling more than $2 billion of goods,” he said.

“To put this in perspective: 12.2 million truck crossings moved approximately $772 billion of goods across our Canadian and Mexican borders in 2018.”