A coalition of groups led by Public Citizen and the Teamsters union said Wednesday that the Department of Transportation was ignoring federal safety laws in implementing a pilot program that would allow Mexican trucks to travel throughout the United States.
The group includes the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and the Truck Safety Coalition.
A coalition of primarily the same groups filed suit in April against FMCSA over the Mexican trucks plan. (Click here for previous coverage.)
FMCSA Spokeswoman Melissa Mazzella DeLaney told Transport Topics that the agency has "met and we’ve exceeded every requirement put in place for this program and we will continue to do that."
"These companies will be the most monitored, these trucks will some of the most inspected, the companies will be the most monitored and the drivers will be some of the most scrutinized drivers on the road," she said.
The House last month voted 411-3 to place restrictions on the plan, setting more stringent oversight criteria on it.
The groups accused FMCSA and the Bush administration of pressing forward with the plan without meeting many of the safety provisions directed by Congress.
They cited a June 8 FMCSA notice in the Federal Register that in effect said the agency had met all of the congressionally mandated safety requirements to open the southern border.
But the groups said that its findings “identified every provision of law that FMCSA has failed to comply with, including failure to provide sufficient opportunity for public notice and comments” on the measure.
(Click here for previous coverage.)
Senior Reporter Sean McNally contributed to this story.
