OIG makes 5 recommendations to improve safety related to Mexican trucks in U.S.

The safety criteria were established in a section of a 2002 appropriations act dealing with Mexico-domiciled carriers operating in the U.S.

By LYNDON FINNEY
The Trucker Staff

9/4/2009

WASHINGTON — The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation has made five recommendations to improve safety related to Mexico-domiciled motor carriers potentially operating beyond narrow commercial zones along the border.

The safety criteria were established in a section of a 2002 appropriations act dealing with Mexico-domiciled carriers operating in the U.S.

The act set forth eight safety criteria.

In a report released this week, OIG cited two areas where it felt Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had not totally met the criteria — having adequate capacity at the southern border to conduct meaningful inspections and having sufficient databases to allow safety monitoring of Mexican carriers and drivers.

The OIG said the FMCSA had met the other six criteria.

The OIG’s report is also a requirement of the 2002 act.

To improve the monitoring of Mexican federal CDL holders operating in the U.S., the IG recommended:

• Developing and implementing a timely report that identifies state data inconsistencies in the Mexican Conviction Database (MCDB), and assigning in the MCDB data quality control plan responsibilities to address and follow up on data inconsistencies

• Assessing whether legislative, regulatory, or MCDB system changes are needed to ensure the consistent reporting and matching of different categories of traffic convictions, including convictions in non-commercial vehicles and convictions occurring under various types of Mexican-issued licenses, and

• Developing an action plan for implementing identified changes in the monitoring process, based on assessment results.

To improve the capacity to perform bus inspections at U.S.-Mexico border bus crossings, the IG recommended the FMCSA:

• Add to its Southern Border Bus Inspection Plan the frequency of required bus inspections at non-commercial crossings and inspections during any hour the border crossing is opened, to include evening and weekend hours. Include in the plan actions to eliminate obstacles to achieving inspection coverage during all open periods, and

• Work with the Customs and Border Protection Service, and other agencies as appropriate, to assess the safety and efficiency of bus inspection locations and space at all non-commercial border crossings at the southern border.

Rose A. McMurray, FMCSA’s acting deputy administrator, said the agency concurred with all the recommendations.

She indicated in her response that some of the recommendations could be completed in the short-term as early as October, while others had completion dates of September 2010.

The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at editor@thetrucker.com.

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