Not Enough Data to Project Mexican Drivers as Safe For Longhaul, Report Concludes

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John Sommers II for TT

The pilot program that allowed Mexican trucks to run in the United States for three years didn’t yield enough results to determine the program’s worthiness, said a report from the Inspector General within the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“The 15 carriers that participated in the pilot program was insufficient to project safety performance to the universe of Mexico-domiciled carriers that may qualify for longhaul operating authority in the future,” the IG said in a report made public Dec. 29.

The report said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration adequately monitored the program. The pilot began in October 2011 and ended in October 2014.

FMCSA concluded and “we confirmed, that pilot-program participant carriers, as well as Mexico-domiciled and Mexican-owned carriers with existing authority to operate in the United States, performed no worse than U.S. and Canadian motor carriers,” the IG said.