Groups criticize FMCSA for cross-border pilot program

Washington – Several groups are criticizing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for allowing Mexico-based carriers with poor safety records to participate in FMCSA's cross-border trucking pilot program.

The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the Truck Safety Coalition stated that applicant RAM Trucking SA de CV (.pdf file) failed to disclose its affiliation with two unsafe U.S. carriers in its application. At press time, FMCSA had not granted RAM Trucking operating authority in the program.

The groups also criticized the poor safety records of participant Transportes Monteblanco SA de CV (.pdf file), which has been cited with a “serious violation” in the past 12 months, and applicant Servicio de Transporte Internacional y Local SA de CV (.pdf file), which has a poor safety history for driver fitness and vehicle maintenance.

The pilot program, launched in 2011 to fulfill a requirement in the North American Free Trade Agreement, is designed to help test whether Mexican trucks can operate safely in the United States beyond established border commercial zones.