Appropriations Bill Seeks End to Cross-Border Trucking Program
An appropriations bill introduced Monday in the House of Representatives includes a provision that would put an end to the controversial cross-border trucking program introduced in 2007.
If signed into law, the bill would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from running “a cross-border motor carrier demonstration program to allow Mexican-domiciled motor carriers to operate beyond the commercial zones along the international border between the United States and Mexico,” the bill reads.
The House Committee on Appropriations introduced the legislation, which includes $410 billion of appropriations, Monday, an announcement from the committee said.
After the program began, lawmakers criticized the Department of Transportation for failing to address concerns over the safety. The program was rarely used by U.S. carriers, who criticized it as too much of a hassle.
Jim Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, applauded the provision in the appropriations bill. “There’s no guarantee that trucks or drivers from Mexico are safe,” he said.
