New Program
Allows US Trucks into Mexico, Changes How Some
Mexican Trucks Operate in US
[Posted 2/26/07]
Under a
new yearlong pilot program, US trucks will be
allowed to make deliveries in Mexico for the first
time, US Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters
announced during a visit to truck inspection
facilities in El Paso, Texas. This same program will
allow a select group of Mexican trucking companies
to make deliveries beyond the 20-25 mile commercial
zones currently in place along the Southwest border.
According to Secretary Peters, the program was
designed to simplify a process that wastes money,
drives up the cost of goods, and leaves trucks
loaded with cargo idling inside US borders. It
currently requires Mexican truckers to wait for US
trucks to arrive and transfer cargo, since US
trucks are not allowed into Mexico because the
United States refused to implement provisions of
the North American Free Trade Agreement that would
have permitted safe cross-border trucking.
Truck safety inspectors working for the US Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will
conduct extensive onsite safety audits of Mexican
companies interested in hauling cargo into and out
of the United States. This is part of a new program
to ensure their trucks and drivers meet the same
safety, insurance and licensing requirements that
apply to all US truckers. In addition, inspectors
will evaluate truck maintenance and driver testing
for compliance with US requirements.
The
inspection teams will verify that drivers have a
valid commercial driver’s license, a current
medical certificate, and can comply with US
hours-of-service rules. The inspection team will
also review driving histories of every driver the
company plans to use to operate within the US, and
determine whether the company is insured by
US-licensed firms. In addition, these drivers will
be required to understand questions and directions
in English. Finally, each inspection team will
verify that every US-bound truck has passed a
comprehensive safety inspection. Trucks lacking
required documentation will be subject to a “hood
to tail-lamps” inspection by the teams.
Related Links:
Fact Sheet
Inspection Checklist
Congressional Safety Mandates
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