The Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a 62-page report earlier this month that said no Mexican motor carrier should be issued authority to haul freight in the U.S. before a number of problems are addressed.

According to the report summary, “until an agreement or other understandings related to on-site safety reviews is reached with Mexico, FMCSA cannot, in our view, grant long-haul operating authority to any Mexican motor carrier. Additionally, given new background requirements for U.S. drivers applying for hazardous materials endorsements, an agreement will need to be in place with Mexico before vehicles owned or leased by a Mexican motor carrier that is granted operating authority by FMCSA can be permitted to haul hazardous materials beyond the commercial zones.”
The summary and full report are available on the Web at www.oig.dot.gov/item_details.php?item=1485.
The report, dated Jan. 3, was not circulated among trucking industry media until the Teamsters union issued a press release Wednesday quoting the report.
According to the Teamster release, the report concludes “that the Mexican government and the country’s motor carriers have not met the safety requirements and preconditions outlined in provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and therefore should not be granted long-haul operating authority within the United States.”
“The Teamsters have said from day one that the main concern with cross-border trucking is safety,” said Jim Hoffa, general president of the Teamsters Union. “The Bush Administration has chosen to ignore our advice, and pushed their agenda forward. We hope that they will listen to the Inspector General and see the realities surrounding this issue.”
The Teamsters were one of a number of organizations that have pressed to keep U.S. highways closed to Mexican trucks since NAFTA was implemented more than a decade ago. President Clinton blocked implementation of NAFTA’s trucking provisions for his entire term. President Bush vowed he would honor NAFTA and open the border.
The Teamsters and others sued in federal court to block the president on safety and environmental grounds, but the Supreme Court ruled against them in June.