Federal officials expect to open the U.S. to Mexican trucks under the long-delayed terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement in mid-July.

Plans announced earlier this year had called for the border to open as early as June. However, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Deputy Transportation Secretary Michael Jackson told those attending a NAFTA Land Transportation Conference this week that several hundred employees must be hired to handle truck inspections at border crossings.
A top Mexican transportation official at the conference was frustrated about the delay, the paper reported, but was more concerned about the fact that standards are tougher for Mexican trucks entering the U.S. than for trucks from Canada.
Currently, trucks from Mexico are limited to a narrow commercial zone along the border. Cross-border access as called for in NAFTA has been delayed since 1995 because of opposition from safety and labor groups.