Rockefeller wants assurances Mexican trucks adhere to safety standards

A top Democratic senator wants reassurances from the Transportation Department that Mexican trucks crossing the border are adhering to safety guidelines. 

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) on Monday asked Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to make sure the agency is monitoring the safety of trucks, saying two recent events in DOT's administration of the program involving Mexican-based trucking companies "have raised concerns that there has been insufficient scrutiny of applicants to the program."

“As I have made clear before, the cross-border trucking program must be done in a way that does not make our highways less safe,” Rockefeller said. “I need assurances that execution of this new plan is meeting this criteria because any loss of life due to lax oversight of the safety of motor carriers on our highways is unacceptable.”

Rockefeller said he is concerned that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has "lax oversight" over the cross-border trucking program. 

He said the agency nearly approved an application of one company with a poor safety record and another with outdated information. 

In May, the Senate Commerce chairman wrote LaHood and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk requesting that the Obama administration make sure new regulations on trucks carrying freight from Mexico into the United States did not jeopardize safety or existing jobs in the United States. 

On Oct. 21, Mexico suspended all remaining tariffs on U.S. products following the resolution of a dispute to let trucks cross the border. 

The United States and Mexico negotiated a pilot program in April to allow entry of Mexican trucks to comply with North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) obligations. The first license was granted on Oct. 14, leading to the change in Mexico's policy.