Committee approves stop sign for Mexico-based trucks

HR 6630 orders the Department of Transportation to terminate the cross border demonstration program no later than its Sep. 6 anniversary date. It also forbids the Secretary of Transportation to grant authority for Mexico-based trucks to travel beyond the border commercial zones without authorization from Congress.

The Trucker Staff

7/31/2008

WASHINGTON — The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee gave the go-ahead Thursday for a bill to stop long-haul trucking between Mexico and the United States.

The bill, HR 6630, orders the Department of Transportation to terminate the cross border demonstration program no later than its Sep. 6 anniversary date. It also forbids the Secretary of Transportation to grant authority for Mexico-based trucks to travel beyond the border commercial zones without authorization from Congress.

The bill passed on a voice vote by the committee.

“All along DOT has said this would be a one year pilot so I’m holding them to their word,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio, the bill sponsor. “DOT needs to look at how much this pilot has cost and the impact it has had on overall motor carrier safety. This administration has been hell-bent on opening up our border but over the past year has failed to show they can adequately inspect Mexican carriers while also maintaining a robust U.S. safety inspection program.”

The bill was applauded in some trucking circles. Both the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have opposed the program — politically and in the courts — from the beginning.

“There is little doubt the administration will try to extend the program beyond its anniversary. They’ve consistently ignored Congressional directives to terminate it,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA executive vice president. “It’s vital that this bill be passed.”

The next step is for the bill to be voted on by the full House, probably after the August recess, OOIDA said.

“It’s outrageous that this program has been allowed to continue despite the fact that it’s endangering American lives,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “How many people must die on our highways before the Bush administration wakes up? This bill makes it as clear as day that Congress wants the border closed to dangerous trucks.”

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — the DOT agency responsible for overseeing the crossborder demonstration program — privded The Trucker the following: