United States General Accounting Office (GAO) now confirms what the Teamsters have been saying for months, Mexican truck safety isn't up to US standards, according to information from the Teamsters. The study was requested by Democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
"The Teamsters have consistently said that the problem with Mexican cross-border trucking is two-fold," said James P. Hoffa, Teamsters general president. "First, that the US lacked the sufficient inspection resources at the border to ensure the safety of the American traveling public. Second, that Mexico lacks adequate standards and enforcement to ensure the safety of their own trucking system. This report clearly shows why the Murray-Shelby safety provisions in the Department of Transportation (DOT) appropriation bill were needed."
The GAO reports that, "though some progress has made, there is continued uncertainty about the extent to which Mexican commercial trucks meet US safety standards." The report's findings include that the DOT does not have an operational plan to ensure the safety of Mexican trucks; there are no permanent inspection facilities at 23 of 25 Southwest border crossings; and Mexico's commercial driver's license database covers less than one-quarter of their estimated 300,000 commercial drivers.
The GAO concluded the report by recommending that the DOT develop and implement a coordinated operational safety plan at the Southwest border.