Truck Safety Should be Top Priority in Opening Mexican Border to Trade

    LOS ANGELES--Feb. 8, 2001--The Automobile Club of Southern California is warning that if rules change regarding truck traffic over the U.S.-Mexico border, government agencies should add enforcement to accommodate the increased traffic and ensure that all truckers and companies are following U.S. safety standards.
    As a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), trucks from Mexico are now allowed to travel up to 25 miles into California for delivery of goods. U.S. officials have been restricting truck travel beyond 25 miles because Mexico's national truck safety standards are not as stringent as those of the United States. But an arbitration panel ruled on Wednesday that the safety argument was not valid and that trucks from Mexico are entitled to unrestricted U.S. road access under NAFTA.
    "If this restriction is lifted and truck traffic increases in California, the Auto Club urges government agencies to step up their enforcement efforts in proportion to the increased traffic," said Dan Beal, the Auto Club's transportation policy manager. "California has high-quality truck safety standards that have been developed over many decades, but those standards do no good if they are not properly enforced."
    Beal said that state and federal agencies now do a good job of truck enforcement in California. Enforcement agents are seeing a decreased percentage of safety violations in trucks from Mexico.
    "Many firms operating in Mexico are responsible and maintain high standards for their trucks, and at the same time, we continue to see safety issues with some trucks based in the United States," Beal said. "Our concern is that high safety standards are enforced across the industry."
    A potential problem with lifting the restriction, Beal said, is that trucks from Mexico could enter the U.S. through other border states with less stringent enforcement, then travel to California without undergoing safety inspections.
    Another problem may be pressure on California to relax its restrictions on longer and heavier trucks.
    "California truck standards on size, weight and air quality are stricter than those of other states," Beal said. "The Auto Club believes those standards help keep all road users safe, and the state should not lower its standards as a result of any changes in federal regulations related to NAFTA."