Maybe! The Congress in a fit of temporary sanity, included a provision in the Iraq War Funding Bill to force verification of Mexican truck safety requirements. This will slow down the Bush’s administration head-long rush to put Mexican trucks and drivers on American roads. The addition to the bill requires certification from the Department of Transportation Inspector General on safety and inspection issues concerning the plan to allow access to all of the U.S. by Mexican domiciled trucks.

This is a small victory for the American public. I have long had a problem understanding why this administration as well as many Democrats are in such a hurry to sacrifice American jobs to cater to the wants of the Mexican government. We do not need Mexican trucks and drivers to have free access to American highways. There are many questions still unanswered about safety and enforcement involving these trucks and drivers. I have seen what comes over the border in Laredo and Nogales, personally if this is the type of vehicle they want to operate in Atlanta and Jersey City traffic, no thanks! Sure I hear people say that the trucks will be newer and well inspected and I’m sure that is how it will be during their demonstration project but what about five or ten years down the road. Will I have to worry about some driver with marginal brakes and a twenty year-old truck roaring down Cabbage or Grapevine behind me. That is my big concern, the future, what will we see coming into America in a few years when the attention has gone elsewhere. Sure we have problems with the trucks we have here now, many drivers like to cut corners on safety, but we are working on them. Accident rates continue to decline and trucks are getting safer. Why do we want to buy a new set of potential problems and put even more stress on an overworked system.

I have always had a lot of respect for Mexican drivers, it takes a skilled operator to navigate in the environment they must work in; Poor roads beat their trucks to death, crime, law enforcement that may not be the most ethical or honest, but American highways are a different world. High speeds, heavy traffic and weather require better than the minimum equipment and operators. Just passing DOT requirements is really not enough to operate safely here and from what I have seen Mexican trucks just barely squeak by. I fear that we are heading down a wrong road, taking a step backwards in the name of profits as far as safety is concerned by allowing marginal equipment ad questionable drivers on U.S. highways. It will come back to haunt the entire industry, especially when the day comes when an unsafe Mexican truck kills a bunch of people.
Be safe and watch out for the other guy.
Don Rogers