Against a backdrop of 5,000 deaths each year from 18-wheeler accidents in the United States and more than 100,000 injuries, the thought of Mexican trucks freely traversing U.S. highways under the North American Free Trade Agreement caused a firestorm of protest in 2007. Canadian trucks have been freely crossing U.S. borders under the same agreement for the last 15 years.

The protests erupted after the Bush Administration Okayed a pilot program in September 2007 to let Mexican trucks into the U.S. under The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). By February 2008, only 247 Mexican trucks had made long haul trips in the U.S. under the program according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Its interim audit of the pilot program reported no 18-wheeler accidents.

Feds Promise “Every Truck, Every Time”

Appearing on Capitol Hill in March 2008, Mary Peters, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, told a congressional committee that every Mexican truck traveling on long haul trips into the United States under the pilot program would be thoroughly inspected every time it crossed the border to ensure the safety of American motorists. But critics doubt Peters’ claim of “every truck, every time.” Unsafe trucks could lead to an increase in 18-wheeler crashes.

Host Of Issues Surrounds Vehicle Inspections

Their concerns center on inspection procedures at the border where they say some inspection stations lack “…the space, manpower or technology to monitor…current high-volume traffic flows.” that would reduce the number of 18-wheeler accidents. They also cite the differences between Mexican trucking safety standards and those of the United States.

Every truck traveling inside U.S. borders must meet U. S. safety standards. Public Citizen, a major critic of the Bush pilot program, charges that that the Department of Transportation “just assumes that all trucks used by Mexico-based companies and produced after 1996 are built to U. S. standards.” It also charges that the DOT is relying on statements from Mexican companies that their trucks meet the criteria even though there is no “current, reliable method to verify date of manufacture.”

Drug Tests, Databases Deficient?

Drug testing Mexican drivers and their levels of fitness concern critics too. A 2005 drug and alcohol survey related to 18-wheeler accidents, it was estimated that 1.7% of drivers used controlled substances while driving. Public Citizen says Mexico lacks a drug-testing lab that meets U. S. standards.

The public advocacy group, The Teamsters Union, the Sierra Club and other trucking and safety interests in the United States charge that the U. S. government doesn’t have enough inspectors at the border to thoroughly check each truck and driver from Mexico making “every truck every time” a hollow promise.

The U. S. has strict rules about the number of hours truckers can drive without a rest since driver fatigue is a factor in fatal crashes. A study for The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that truck drivers who spend more than eight hours behind the wheel have a two-fold increase of an 18-wheeler accident.

NAFTA Signed Nearly 15 Years Ago

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect on January 1, 1994 after it was signed by Mexico, Canada and the United States. For at least the last decade, Canadian trucks have traveled freely in the U.S. while Mexican semi trucks have been blocked. By 2000, the United States was required to remove restrictions on Mexican trucks if they met U. S. standards.

Lawsuits and disagreements between the two countries delayed the move. In 2001, Mexico filed a challenge under NAFTA and won an order forcing the United States to open its borders to Mexican trucks. The Bush Administration responded with a pilot program that took effect in September 2007.

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