Peters Asks Congress to Approve Mexican Truck Program
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters asked Congress Wednesday to reconsider its pending prohibition and let a cross-border trucking demonstration program between the United States and Mexico proceed.
“With the change of just a few words, Congress can show that we can trade with the world, keep our highways safe, and our companies competitive at the same time,” Secretary Peters said.
DOT in September began a cross-border trucking demonstration project that will allow up to 100 U.S. trucking companies to operate in Mexico and up to 100 Mexican trucking companies to operate beyond a close-in commercial U.S. border zone.
The future of the program is in jeopardy due to pending legislation that would cut off federal funds for the demonstration project. The first trucks from each country rolled into their respective counterparts last month.
The project has been vigorously opposed by labor unions, public interest groups and members of Congress who have cited potential safety concerns over Mexican trucks. Peters rebuffed such concerns Wednesday.
“We want to demonstrate to Congress that tough safety standards and rigorous inspections work and that trucks participating in this program will have the same features, the same upkeep, and the same commitment to safety that any U.S. truck has,” she said.
She said DOT invited a Maryland State Trooper to conduct a comprehensive safety inspection of two trucks participating in the cross-border trucking demonstration — one a U.S. truck and the other the first Mexican truck to make a U.S. delivery under the project.
Peters said the two were virtually identical, because both must meet the same strict U.S. safety standards.
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