As Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer nears, it appears the U.S. government won’t make good on its prediction that Mexican trucks will gain full access to the United States by the end of the summer.

In late June, the Department of Transportation’s inspector general released a report saying inspection stations at the U.S.-Mexican border wouldn’t be ready for a hoped-for mid-July border opening.
In March, the U.S. Department of Transportation unveiled new safety requirements for Mexican motor carriers to operate inside the United States in preparation for opening the border for Mexican trucks by mid-year. The Bush administration had hoped to have the border open by last January.
Now officials refuse to set a date, reports the Fort Worth Star Telegram. The paper reports the United States is still negotiating with Mexico over safety regulations for Mexican trucks. Mexico has complained that the rules discriminate against their country. Some politicians are pressuring Mexican President Vicente Fox to block U.S. trucks from operating in Mexico if the final rules aren’t fair.
The border was supposed to open partially to Mexican trucks in 1995 under the terms of the 1992 North American Free Trade Agreement, but President Clinton refused to open the border because of concerns that Mexican trucks weren’t safe. Currently Mexican trucks are limited to a narrow commercial zone in the border states.