DOT Releases Details on Mexican Truck Proposal
A plan to allow Mexican trucks access to U.S. highways would begin as a pilot program that would not exceed three years, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said Friday.
The proposal will soon be published in the Federal Register, at which point there will be a 30-day public comment period, FMCSA said.
“The proposed new program prioritizes safety, while satisfying the United States’ international obligations” under the North American Free Trade Agreement, the agency said in a statement. FMCSA put a notice about the listing on its website.
Mexican carriers would go through a three-phase process to gain operating authority, in addition to a 28-page application and other requirements before being allowed to travel in the United States.
Mexican trucks and drivers would be subject to all U.S. laws, in addition to state and local laws, according to the proposal.
The U.S. plans to spend $2.5 million on electronic monitoring devices such as electronic onboard recorders, for Mexican trucks, Bloomberg reported Friday. An announcement last month that FMCSA would pay for EOBRs on Mexican trucks led to protests by U.S. lawmakers.
A previous pilot program ended in 2009 after Congress discontinued its funding on safety concerns.
The United States and Mexico agreed in March to start a new pilot cross-border trucking program.
American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves said ATA “welcomes the progress that the United States and Mexico are making to resolve their ongoing dispute over cross-border trucking.”
But ATA has “expressed concerns to DOT about the U.S. government’s earlier proposal to pay for and provide [EOBRs] to Mexican trucks participating in a proposed pilot program,” Graves said.
DOT has changed this specific requirement to allow GPS systems to also be used for tracking purposes to ensure compliance with U.S. cabotage and hours of service regulations, Graves said, adding that “believes this is a sound change by the administration.”
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said it was “infuriated on behalf of small-business truckers and professional truck drivers” at the announced plan, citing safety and environmental concerns.
OOIDA, which has consistently opposed to the program, said it was “the wrong plan at the wrong time for numerous reasons,” Executive Vice President Todd Spencer said in a statement.
