Rules dealing with the application process for Mexican carriers and the safety audit system will likely be issued this week.

Joseph Clapp, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said Friday during remarks at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., that he expected the rules to be issued "within the next several days."
The agency is in the process of hiring and training 214 new people - a more than 25 percent increase - to inspect vehicles and drivers and perform the required safety audits and compliance reviews of Mexican trucking companies that wish to operate in the United States under the long-delayed terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
In partnership with the four border states, Clapp said, weigh-in-motion scales are being put into place at the 10 busiest crossings. Three are already operational, two will be in place by April 1, and the rest will be up and running by the end of the year.

For more information on the border opening, see Mexican Border Will Open To Long-Distance Trucking" in the January issue of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine.