U.S. to Miss Mexico Truck Safety Deadline

The United States won't meet Thursday’s deadline giving Mexican trucks full access to American roads, the Associated Press reported.

David DeCarme, a Department of Transportation division chief, said a timetable has not been set on when Mexico will get a complete truck policy, but the U.S. is making progress toward forming a full-fledged policy.

Mexico is not expected to impose trade sanctions against the United States despite missing the deadline, the AP reported.

Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday called on leaders from both countries to make trucks safer, and to provide better training.

he North American Free Trade Agreement had called for Mexican trucks to have full access to U.S. highways by Jan. 2000. On Feb. 6, a Nafta arbitration panel ruled the U.S. was violating the treaty, and must open its highways.

At that time, Transport Topics reported, American Trucking Associations President Walter B. McCormick Jr. said he “strongly supports” the panel’s findings and wanted the government to implement the trucking provisions without delay.

About 5 million Mexican trucks enter the U.S. each year, and are limited to a 20-mile zone, where they are forced to transfer their loads to U.S. trucks.

Since the Nafta agreement took effect, nearly 200 Mexican trucking companies have applied to the Department of Transportation for operating authority to carry freight into the U.S. from Mexico.

The AP said U.S. officials blame the poor safety record of Mexican trucks as part of the reason they won’t meet the deadline. Nearly half the trucks checked last year were taken out of service for numerous flaws. Transport Topics

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