Debate continues over cross-border trucking program

Sep 14, 2008

Days after the House passed a bill that would end a controversial cross-border trucking program in September, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that the program will continue for two more years.

A notice (.pdf file) of the extension was published in the Aug. 6 Federal Register.

FMCSA Administrator John Hill said the program was a success despite being limited by companies unwilling to invest because of uncertainty over the project's longevity.

On July 31, members of the House approved H.R. 6630, a bill that would prohibit the Department of Transportation from conducting the pilot program for more than one year. Bill co-sponsor Rep. James Oberstar, D-MN, chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, vowed to push for the bill's passage when Congress reconvened Sept. 8. Oberstar said in a news release that Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters "continues to flout the will of Congress" by allowing the program to continue.

The program was implemented in September 2007 as part of North American Free Trade Agreement trucking provisions that allow cross-border freight operations beyond commercial zones along the U.S.-Mexico border. Members of Congress, safety advocates, industry groups and others have voiced concerns about traffic safety and national security. Proponents say safety and security measures are in place.