DOT report: U.S. not ready for Mexican trucks

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 2/1/1999

A report issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general supports the Clinton administration's 1995 decision to bar Mexican truckers from traveling beyond commercial zones along the border.

At the same time, the report slams the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and three border-state governments for failing to allocate sufficient resources for safety inspections at border crossings. The report concluded, "With the exception of California, far too few trucks are being inspected at the U.S.-Mexico border, and too few of the inspected trucks comply with U.S. standards."

The study found that in fiscal year 1997, the FHWA had only 13 vehicle-safety inspectors dedicated to cross-border traffic. California had 47 full-time and five part-time inspectors assigned to inspect northbound vehicles, while Texas and Arizona combined had only eight full-time and 37 part-time state inspectors at the border. There were no inspectors assigned to crossings in New Mexico. (State police in New Mexico inspected Mexican vehicles during routine patrols.) Evening and weekend coverage was either non-existent or irregular in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. Furthermore, only California had permanent vehicle-inspection facilities. Texas and Arizona authorities were relying on space made available at U.S. Customs facilities. New Mexico, which plans to beef up its inspections beginning this month, is expected to open two permanent inspection stations early this year.

On average, 44 percent of the Mexican vehicles inspected were placed out of service for safety violations. But figures for each state varied significantly: In Texas, 50 percent were taken off the road, while 42 percent and 37 percent were placed out of service in Arizona and New Mexico, respectively. California, by contrast, had an out-of-service rate of 28 percent--comparable to the 25-percent rate for U.S.-based vehicles. The report attributes that difference to California's staffing levels, the availability of purpose-built inspection stations, and the routine conduct of strict inspections. "A direct correlation exists between the condition of Mexican trucks entering the commercial zone and the level of inspection resources at the border," it said.

In light of that finding, it is imperative that the federal government and the states dedicate more resources to vehicle inspections, the report said. It further urged the FHWA to take primary responsibility for coordinating border safety operations. Right now, the authors charge, the agency is woefully unprepared for that responsibility: "We conclude that FHWA does not have a safety-enforcement program in place that provides a reasonable level of assurance of the safety of Mexican trucks entering the United States, nor does it plan to establish such a program." Until a program is in place, it concluded, the federal government should continue to postpone granting authority for Mexican vehicles to operate outside of the existing border commercial zones.

Editor's Note: A more detailed version of this story is on our Web site (www.logisticsmgmt.com).