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US CONGRESS BLOCKS ADMINISTRATION'S PLANS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO MEXICAN TRUCKS.

Article Excerpt
Just as Mexico was making the final preparations for some of its truckers to finally gain access to US highways, the US Congress blocked the plan. Under a pilot program developed by US President George W. Bush's administration, certain Mexican truck companies that met strict safety and training requirements would be allowed to haul freight into the US, effective the beginning of September. The Bush plan, announced in early February (see SourceMex, 2007-02-28), was intended to end a 12-year impasse regarding a provision in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that allowed truckers from the US, Canada, and Mexico to travel freely throughout the region.

The Bush government implemented the pilot program during the first week of September, after a federal US court rejected a petition from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to block the move to allow Mexican trucks to haul freight beyond a 40-km zone along the US-Mexico border.

On Sept. 11, just days after the US Department of Transportation (DOT) officially launched the pilot program, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly to support an amendment to remove funding for the program in the transportation bill. The US House of Representatives approved a similar measure earlier this year, almost ensuring that it will be in...

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