Mexico set rules that would allow U.S. trucks to cross into Mexico under a one-year pilot program, matching a U.S. effort to open its doors to Mexican trucks.
The rules require U.S. transportation companies to obtain a permit from the Mexican Transportation Ministry and limit participation to a maximum of 100 companies, the ministry said in a statement. The agreement would take effect tomorrow and end a year later, according to the statement.
The U.S. and Mexican pilot programs would test cross-border trucking that was supposed to take effect in 1995 under the North American Free Trade Agreement. In 1995, then-President Bill Clinton decided to block Mexican trucks from carrying cargo beyond a border commercial zone of about 25 miles (42 kilometers) because of concern that unsafe Mexican trucks would become a hazard on U.S. highways.
Last February, U.S. and Mexican transportation officials reached an agreement to allow U.S. Department of Transportation inspectors to certify the trucks of as many as 100 Mexican companies and allow them to deliver cargo to U.S. cities in a one-year test program. The trucks can pick up cargo at a U.S. city and haul it to Mexico, but can’t deliver goods from one U.S. city to another.
Today, transportation department defended the safety of Mexico trucks it has certified in response to a lawsuit filed by the Teamsters union, the Sierra Club and other public-advocacy groups.
Opposition Lawsuit
“Petitioners have made absolutely no showing they will be irreparably harmed by commencement of the demonstration project,'’ the department said in a filing today with the federal appeals court in San Francisco. “The critical bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Mexico will be placed under considerable strain by further delay.'’
The U.S. government expects 44 trucks from Mexico to participate in the program during the first 30 days, according to the filing. The department said it has published safety-audit data on the Mexican carriers participating in the project
The organizations are seeking an emergency stay until they get more assurance that the vehicles comply with U.S. environmental, security and safety regulations, Sierra Club spokesman Josh Dorner said yesterday.
The union said in a filing today that the pilot program won’t provide enough evidence that Mexican trucks are safe for U.S. highways.
“Given the small number of carriers and the short duration of the program,'’ there isn’t enough “evidence that the proposed pilot program will yield statistically valid results,'’ the filing said. The union asked for a court order by Sept. 5 blocking the program.
Mexico-U.S. Trade
In 2006, trade between the two countries topped $330 billion and 70 percent of that was moved by truck, the Mexican ministry said. Canadian trucks already have access to U.S. highways.
Mexico’s transportation ministry said it will resolve applications to the pilot program by U.S. trucking companies in 45 days.
The program won’t include hazardous materials, voluminous objects or object of great weight, industrial wreckers, package services, passenger vehicles and others, the ministry said. U.S. truck also will be barred from delivering goods between two Mexican cities.
The case is Sierra Club v. U.S. Department of Transportation, 07-73415, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (San Francisco) –Bloomberg
With file information By Thomas Black and Karen Gullo, Bloomberg
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