California Finds Mexican Trucks Comparable With U.S. Carriers

It might seem that Mexican truck-bashing is a way of life in America.

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From the Department of Transportation’s inspector general to the Teamsters union and almost every newspaper that has ever written a story about the subject, Americans are fed information that Mexican trucks have orange crates for seats but no brakes, and that Mexican companies run slipshod operations that are inferior to U.S. trucking operations in every way.

But what is the truth?

A 1998 inspector general’s report for DOT found that 44% of Mexican trucks inspected at the border were put out-of-service for safety violations. Taken state-by-state, the report showed out-of-service rates of 37% in New Mexico, 42% in Arizona and 50% in Texas — consistently poor showings.

For the full story, see the Apr. 24 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.