Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/71813
Cross-border pilot program could fail The U.S.-Mexico cross- border trucking pilot program may fail unless more Mexican carriers elect to join, a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration official said in May. To date, Mexican trucks have entered the United States only 33 times under the program, said William Quade, FMCSA's associate administrator for enforcement and program delivery. "The agency is extremely concerned about not having sufficient data," Quade told the agency's Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee at its meeting in Alexandria, Va. Without more participation, FMCSA cannot collect adequate data to evaluate Mexican carriers' safety, resulting in the program's failure, Quade said. The pilot program's rebirth sprung from talks between President Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon that yielded a July 2011 deal. Mexico had imposed billions in tariffs on American imports, citing violations of the North American Free Trade Agreement, after the United States ended the initial pilot program in 2009 under political pressure and protests SHORT HAULS THE AMOUNT of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry rose 0.2 percent in April from March, up 2 percent from the same time last year and 16.7 percent from the April 2009 low. JULY 2012 OVERDRIVE 23 from the Teamsters and other interests. Quade told MCSAC that, to date, only three Mexican trucking companies have sent a total of three drivers and three trucks across the border, accounting for all of the trips. The largest Mexican trucking firms haven't applied due to uncertainty over the program and insurance issues, he said. — Staff reports Circle 200 on Reader Service Card or visit overdrive.hotims.com