May 1, 2001, 10:39PM

Mexican trucks win break under U.S. plan

Critics insist thorough inspections needed

Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle News Services WASHINGTON -- Mexican tractor-trailers won't have to undergo U.S. safety checks for up to 18 months after they have full access to American roads under proposed federal rules announced Tuesday.

Critics pounced on that aspect of the plan, saying the trucks should be thoroughly inspected before being allowed to operate in the United States to ensure American motorists aren't sharing the road with unsafe vehicles.

Under the rules, Mexican trucking companies will be required to provide detailed information about their safety practices and show they are in compliance with U.S. trucking regulations, said Dave Longo, spokesman for the Federal Motor Safety Carrier Administration, which devised the plan. Then, within 18 months, U.S. officials will check the paperwork for accuracy.

"The companies that apply will have to assure us that they are operating a safe company," Longo said, though he acknowledged Mexican truck safety monitoring is below U.S. standards.

The Mexican trucks also will be subject to spot inspections by U.S. authorities as they cross the border and to roadside inspections. President Bush's budget plan calls for $88 million to build inspection facilities and hire safety inspectors, though critics say that isn't enough to cover the tens of thousands of trucks expected to cross the border each year.

Bret Caldwell, spokesman for the Teamsters union, which represents U.S. truckers, said the plan doesn't safeguard U.S. motorists.

The North American Free Trade Agreement called for Mexican trucks to have unrestricted access to highways by 1995 in border states -- Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona -- and full access to all U.S. highways by January 2000.

The Clinton administration, citing safety concerns but also under pressure from unions representing U.S. truckers, refused to implement the provisions. Mexican trucks now are limited to a zone north of the border, where they transfer their loads to American trucks.

A NAFTA arbitration panel ruled in February that the United States was in violation of the treaty. Bush pledged to comply and his administration began working on the rules.

The public has until July 2 to comment on the proposed rules, after which final rules will be issued. The Transportation Department wants the rules finished in time for trucks to be operating in the United States before year's end.

Under the proposal, all Mexican trucks that already operate or plan to operate in the United States must apply for permission to drive on U.S roadways. If the application is in order, they will be allowed to do so.

Then, within 18 months, the safety audit will be conducted. It will include a review of the carrier's safety records, medical qualifications, driver logs, drug and alcohol testing results, and records on vehicle inspection, maintenance and repair.

All trucks will be required to be registered with the Mexican transportation department.

U.S. transportation officials have access to Mexico's truck registry, Longo said.

Bush meets Mexican President Vicente Fox today in Washington, and the proposed rules will allow him to show his counterpart how the U.S. is working to come into compliance with the NAFTA panel ruling.

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2001

Answers

I'm agin it. Living near Atlanta, I'll have to deal with Mexican trucks for sure. This report covers the situation pretty well -- (couple of snips from it below): The Coming NAFTA Crash:
The Deadly Impact of a Secret NAFTA Tribunal's Decision to Open U.S. Highways to Unsafe Mexican Trucks.
New Evidence Suggests that a NAFTA Ruling Allowing Mexican Trucks Access to U.S. Will Expose the Public to Significant Threats.
ADVANCE PRESS COPY "As described in this report, Mexico has only a fledgling truck safety system. Our experience thus far has demonstrated the risks. While fewer than 1 percent of Mexican trucks now entering the U.S. are inspected, fully 35 percent of those trucks are forced out of service due to serious safety failures. "To attempt to fully enforce U.S. truck safety standards in the context of Mexican trucks would require that every single Mexican truck be inspected on the border. When President Bush was governor of Texas, he signed a letter to the Clinton Administration criticizing the refusal to open the border.(4) The new administration may argue that the U.S. can ensure safety by inspecting each Mexican truck. But the government and the U.S. trucking industry (which seeks to hire cheap Mexican drivers) know this is impossible." "President Clinton noted three major problems that were unsolved when he kept the border closed in 1995:
• major differences between U.S. and Mexican safety regulations;
• major differences in the application and enforcement of the safeguards; and
• the inability of states and federal regulators to effectively enforce U.S. standards on Mexican trucks.(6) (White House Press Briefing, Mike McCurry, Dec. 18, 1995.)

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001

I am certainly against it. If they want to drive on our roads, they should have to follow our laws. No excuses. The fact that so many have been fined and they are complaining tells me that these trucks are unsafe and will continue to be unsafe.

Another case of our gov't screwing it's own citizens.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001