CHP Border Truck Inspections Receive Federal Accolades

    SACRAMENTO, Calif.--Feb. 5, 2002--According to a recently released report from the United States General Accounting Office (GAO), the California Highway Patrol's (CHP's) border truck inspection facilities and personnel are among the best prepared in the nation. "As the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA) allows more foreign trucks to enter and operate in the United States, the CHP stands ready to assure these incoming vehicles are as safe as the domestic commercial vehicles which operate on California's roads and highways," CHP Commissioner Spike Helmick said.
    Commercial truck traffic at Texas and California ports of entry -- which handle approximately 91 percent of truck crossings from Mexico -- has grown just over 60 percent since NAFTA went into effect. A total of 2.7 million truck crossings occurred in fiscal 1994 compared to more than 4.3 million crossings in fiscal 2001.
    Currently, only 2 of 25 commercial ports of entry along the Mexico/US border have permanent inspection facilities -- the CHP facilities in Calexico and Otay Mesa. "As of October 2001, the border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, have assigned 89 inspectors to border crossings to inspect trucks entering the United States from Mexico, including 41 in California," Helmick said.
    "In keeping with our goal of assuring safety for motorists, the CHP stands ready to handle the increasing flow of commercial vehicles coming from Mexico. CHP readiness is the result of planning ahead and obtaining the resources to build and staff the state-of-the-art facilities in Calexico and Otay Mesa," said Business and Transportation Agency Secretary Maria Contreras-Sweet.
    The CHP has a history of efficient and effective handling of the large volume of commercial vehicles which enter the state each year. "The critical inspections and strict enforcement the CHP is known for will be upheld by our Border Division personnel at these port of entry locations and by the nearly 1,000 other CHP commercial vehicle inspectors throughout the state. I am confident that California and the nation can depend on the efforts of CHP employees to maintain the highest standards of protection for all motorists," Commissioner Helmick said.

    Department of California Highway Patrol

    The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement and traffic safety agency reporting to Business, Transportation and Housing Agency Secretary Maria Contreras-Sweet and Governor Gray Davis.