Truckers react to new pilot program with Mexico

By William Wilczewski

Wick News Service

NOGALES, Ariz. — In a little more than a month, as many as 100 approved Mexican trucking companies will be able to deliver goods beyond the 25-mile border zone for the first time since 1982.

On the national level, the program has drawn an angry reaction from labor leaders, safety advocates and some members of Congress.

Said Teamsters President Jim Hoffa: “They are playing a game of Russian roulette on America’s highways.”

National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman questioned how the U.S. could spare sending truck inspectors to Mexico when only a tiny percentage of U.S. truck companies are inspected every year.

“They lack the inspectors to conduct safety reviews of at-risk domestic carriers,” Hersman said. “That situation only gets worse if resources are diverted to the border.”

One-fourth of all U.S. trucks are taken off the road after random inspections because they’re so unsafe, she said. An even higher percentage of Mexican trucks are taken off the road at Texas border crossings, she said. (emphasis mine - mm)