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WASHINGTON — A treaty provision to allow Mexican trucks to operate in the United States would endanger American motorists because it would open the gates for 2 million unsafe trucks and untrained drivers, Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) claimed in a Sept. 28 press conference.

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Brown announced his introduction of a congressional resolution to maintain current restrictions on Mexican trucks in the U.S.

Although the resolution will not go forward in the remaining days of this session of Congress, s Congressional session, the congressman said he announced it because a North American Free Trade Agreement dispute council could decide by mid-October that the U.S. must open its borders to Mexican trucks or face fines.

Mexico allows 18-year-olds with minimal training to drive trucks, the country doesn’t track safety violations and Mexican trucks are 10 years older than the average U.S. truck, Brown said, explaining why he thought allowing Mexican truckers into this country would jeopardize American lives and compromise safety standards. It was the same argument the Teamsters union used to convince the Clinton administration not to honor Nafta international trucking arrangements with Mexico.

According to the Nafta provisions, the U.S. was supposed to give qualified Mexican truckers full access to the United States on Jan 1. The Clinton administration has refused to implement the mutual access agreements. Mexico filed a complaint with the dispute resolution panel in 1999 over the continuing restrictions.