Coalition Asks DOT to Review Border Opening

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coalition of private-citizen safety groups requested in a letter to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta that he re-examine differences between the U.S. and Mexican trucking industries before moving forward on opening the southern border to northbound trucks.

The group, led by Public Citizen, said in its Aug. 13 letter that since 2001, when a law was passed clearing the way for Mexican trucks to enter the United States, Mexico has yet to bring its laws up to U.S. standards.

“There [are] significant baseline differences between U.S. and Mexican law, regulation and procedure that govern motor carriers,” the letter said. “These differences include changes in U.S. laws and regulations that have increased safety requirements for U.S. motor carriers in the past three years.”

The coalition, which also included the Center for Auto Safety, the Consumer Federation of America, Parents Against Tired Truckers and the Trauma Foundation, listed “six areas in which vital safety policies must be reconciled before the border opens to long-haul truck traffic.”

For the full story, see the Aug. 23 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.