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The American Trucking Associations agrees with Teamsters general president-elect Jim Hoffa that bad trucks and bad truck drivers should be off the road. The road is our workplace, and we want it to be as safe as possible for all motorists. We believe profitable companies are safe companies. That is why our members are calling on Congress to, in addition to other things, double the amount of federal funding spent on inspections of trucks.

However, some of Mr. Hoffa’s statements are based more on emotion than fact.

He contends, “Almost half of the Mexican trucks inspected at the border were taken out of service because of serious safety violations.”

The high out-of-service rates, however, are due to the fact that trucks currently being inspected at the border are drayage trucks. Drayage trucks are not the modern safe trucks used for long-haul movements, and they don’t come anywhere near to representing the overall trucking industry.

California is a perfect illustration. There are no drayage operations in San Diego, where the out-of-service rates are 28%. California is successful because there is adequate infrastructure and human resources for inspections. Mexican carriers actually drive in an extended commercial zone within the San Diego area, therefore using newer and better equipment.

NAFTA’s trucking provisions require all foreign carriers operating in the United States to abide by U.S. standards and regulations. The ATA has and continues to fully support rigorous enforcement of all U.S. standards for foreign carriers operating in this country.

Mr. Hoffa also states: “Increased truck traffic from Mexico will mean increased drug traffic.”

AFTA’s trucking provisions are meant to reduce the flow of drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border by lowering the number of trucks involved in a single trailer movement. Currently, three tractors are needed to make a single trailer movement across the border, which makes it more difficult for enforcement agencies to keep track of what companies are moving cargo across the border. So many trailers are changing hands at the border that enforcement officials have a hard time keeping track of trailer movements.

And the North American Free Trade Agreement does address Mr. Hoffa’s concerns about Mexican drivers.

U.S. officials monitor Mexican drivers as they enter the United States. Mexico’s department of transportation and U.S. DOT share a database that identifies Mexican drivers who are properly licensed. Law enforcement can receive information about the driver as they do from any U.S. state. The database is updated every 24 hours. When the driver presents his license, if his name doesn’t appear in the database, he doesn’t drive in.

According to the DOT, Mexico’s medical certification process meets or exceeds U.S. standards. Mexico’s testing, which includes a physical and psychological exam, is done on a two-year cycle. If drivers do not have the proper medical certification documentation, no license is issued or re-issued.

On the hours-of-service issue, Mr. Hoffa is simply wrong. As provided by Mexico’s labor law, stringent hours-of-service rules apply to all Mexican workers.

And, when it comes to drug testing, the U.S. began requiring such for foreign-based drivers in 1996.

Mr. Hoffa cites a DOT report to prove that federal and state governments, with the exception of California, “have not done what it takes to keep out unsafe Mexican trucks.”

This is true. However, the DOT report suggests that the allocation of funds for border inspections needs to be improved by both the Federal Highway Administration and state agencies, and that there is a need for increased funding to hire additional inspectors and to build adequate border inspection facilities. However, many of the state agencies, except California, have refrained from spending resources on these programs, considering the border remains closed without a clear indication as to when it might open.

With added and improved resources for inspection capabilities, both in infrastructure and human resources, inspection capabilities at the U.S.-Mexico border would work to ensure that our southern border with Mexico operate as efficiently and safely as our northern border with Canada.

Opening the borders with Canada has worked very well and benefited all of us. And, ATA believes fully implementing NAFTA’s trucking provisions with Mexico will provide an improved transportation delivery system for the increasing flow of goods between our countries.