A follow-up audit has been initiated on cross-border trucking provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), according to information from the inspector general, Department of Transportation (DOT).
The audit is designed:
•To verify whether the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) continues to have the staff, facilities, equipment, and procedures in place to comply with congressionally-set requirements.
•To determine whether states have adequate authority and procedures in place to take action against a Mexican-domiciled commercial vehicle operating without authority or beyond the scope of its authority.
•To identify any impediments preventing FMCSA personnel from conducting safety audits and compliance reviews in Mexico as required by law.
The audit follows a lower court decision that has blocked Mexican trucks entering the United States until the Supreme Court hears the case, expected to be decided in June. The lawsuit involves the environmental impact Mexican trucks would cause when allowed to enter the United States.
The Supreme Court review was requested by DOT after the California appeals court ordered DOT to conduct environmental impact studies. The initial lawsuit was filed by a coalition of environmental, consumer, and labor groups, including Public Citizen, the Teamsters, California Federation of Labor, the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), the California Trucking Association, and Brotherhood of Teamsters, Auto and Truck Drivers, Local 70.
To see more information about the inspector general audit, click here for the Web site at oig.dot.gov.