A proposed one-year pilot program that would allow Mexican truckers to travel beyond the 20-mile commercial zone to which they now are restricted will not necessarily be announced this year, a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration spokesman said.
“We are continuing our conversations with Mexican officials to allow cross-border trucking operations, and at this point there is no hard deadline as to if and when that will occur,” said FMCSA spokesman Ian Grossman. “But if it does, it’s clear from our discussions that the end of the year is the earliest that both sides will be prepared to begin a pilot program.”
The number of Mexican trucking companies that will be involved, should the plan be implemented, is likewise still under discussion, Grossman said.
Interim Transportation Secretary Maria Cino described the pilot program in an interview published in the July 24 issue of Traffic World magazine. Cino was quoted as saying the program would involve about 100 Mexican motor carriers and could be unveiled by the end of 2006.
Cino’s comments drew a quick response from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. Todd Spencer, OOIDA executive vice president, called the pilot program a “mistake” and said the United States is in no position to address the safety and security issues of Mexican trucks on U.S. highways. Driver pay in the United States also could be driven down by the competition, Spencer said.
The American Trucking Associations, on the other hand, supports the trucking provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which says the Mexican trucks will operate on U.S. roads eventually, said Martin Rojas, ATA executive director for safety and security operations.
Current U.S. law restricts trucks and drivers from Mexico and Canada to carrying international shipments between their home countries and individual points in the United States. Those same laws prohibit foreign trucks and drivers from moving loads from point to point within U.S. borders. However, trucks operating from Mexico can enter the country and operate within a 20-mile limited commercial zone around the border.
