Comments on Mexican Trucks Program Due to DOT Friday
Comments on the Department of Transportation’s revised program to allow Mexican trucks access to U.S. highways are due on Friday.
DOT said last month its three-year pilot program to allow Mexican trucks on U.S. roadways includes multiple safety-related steps.
Those include a target of 4,100 vehicle inspections designed to test the safety of Mexican trucks, instead of establishing a number of carrier participants.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, part of DOT, allocated $2.5 million to install devices such as electronic onboard recorders on Mexican trucks, a move that triggered a storm of protests from U.S. drivers and fleets alike.
DOT also said no Mexican carrier will be able to carry hazardous materials.
American Trucking Associations said in comments filed Friday that it supported the program generally, though it raised some concerns with the proposed plan.
“ATA commends the efforts by FMCSA to develop and implement a NAFTA pilot program for cross-border trucking,” Martin Rojas, ATA’s vice president of security and operations, wrote in submitted comments to FMCSA.
But the group’s concerns include the EOBR purchase and how the two countries will ensure fair and equal access to Mexico for American carriers, ATA said in a statement.
On this past Monday, FMCSA turned down the request from the Teamsters union, a persistent critic of wider Mexican truck access, to extend the comment period.
Teamsters President James Hoffa blasted FMCSA’s decision not to extend the comment period beyond the 30-day period ending Friday.
“Thirty days isn’t enough time for the public to voice its objections to this dangerous proposal,” Hoffa said in a statement.
