Transportation Spending Bill Clears House

The House of Representatives has approved a transportation spending bill that would bar Mexican trucks from operating in the U.S., Bloomberg News reported.

The bill, which late Wednesday passed by a vote of 270-147, is opposed by the Bush administration, in part because it appropriates about $2.3 billion more in highway spending measures than the President’s proposed, but also because it would bring the Department of Transportation’s pilot program for Mexican trucking companies to a halt, according to Bloomberg.

The bill now awaits Senate approval, Bloomberg said.

Under DOT’s pilot program, up to 100 Mexican trucking companies would be cleared to operate within the U.S. beyond the usual 25 mile border zone where Mexican carriers traditionally have handed off freight to their American counterparts.

The first of these 100 carriers was cleared to haul freight within the U.S. in September (18349).