Court hears lawsuit on allowing Mexican trucks into U.S.

The Associated Press
Published: 02.13.2008

A federal appeals court considered Tuesday whether the Bush administration can go ahead with a pilot program that allows a small number of Mexican trucks to travel freely on U.S. highways, despite a new law by Congress against it.

Members of the Teamsters Union and their supporters packed a courtroom at 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where an apparently divided three-judge panel heard arguments in the case, which may boil down to the meaning of "establish."

Several tractor trailers also were parked outside the courthouse and union members and their supporters carried signs opposing the program, which allows participating Mexican trucking companies to send loads throughout the United States.

The Teamsters, Sierra Club and Public Citizen sued the administration in August to try to stop the program, which the U.S. agreed to as part of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement.

_____

Bumpy ride in court for trucking program
Groups want U.S.-Mexico project taken off the road
By Paul M. Krawzak
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
AP Photo
February 13, 2008

WASHINGTON – Opponents of a Bush administration program that allows Mexican trucks to drive throughout the United States called the program a “sham” yesterday as they urged a federal appeals court to shut it down.

Jonathan Weissglass, an attorney for the Teamsters Union and other groups opposed to the five-month-old project designed to test Mexican trucks on U.S. highways, said the program lacks enough participants for a statistically valid sample, as required by Congress.

The program, scheduled to run through September, was designed to have up to 100 Mexican carriers participating. At present, 12 Mexican carriers fielding 42 trucks have been authorized to participate after passing U.S. inspections.

The program also allows an equivalent number of U.S. carriers to travel throughout Mexico for the first time.

Groups opposed to the program traded legal jabs with the U.S. Department of Transportation before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Opponents say the Bush administration has ignored safety standards imposed on the program by Congress, as well as a law passed by Congress in December to end the pilot program altogether.