TRUCK SAFETY GROUP SUPPORTS U.S. GOVERNMENT’s MEXICAN TRUCK SAFETY PLAN

TRUCK SAFETY GROUP SUPPORTS U.S. GOVERNMENTÆS MEXICAN TRUCK SAFETY PLAN    The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance said it supports an agreement reached by House and Senate Transportation Department appropriations conferees and the Bush administration last week on a motor carrier safety plan for Mexican trucks.
   The U.S./Mexican border is scheduled to open in January to commercial vehicles under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The NAFTA terms had been put on hold since 1993 due to safety concerns over Mexican trucks.
   The new agreement calls for conducting on-site safety exams of 50 percent of Mexican carriers seeking authority to operate in the United States. Other key provisions are:
   * Incorporating the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance program that issues decals to vehicles that meet the inspection standards.
   * Phasing in “weigh-in-motion” systems at the border crossing sites.
   * Allowing the carriers to cross the border only at sites where certified motor carrier inspectors are on duty.
   * Providing for electronic verification of the license of each Mexican driver hauling hazardous materials and 50 percent of all other Mexican drivers.
   “We look forward to working with the U.S. Department of Transportation and our safety enforcement partners in Mexico in helping to implement the new plan,” said Stephen Campbell, the alliance’s director.