U.S. Chamber opposes cross-border truck program defunding language

U.S. Chamber opposes cross-border truck program defunding language The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, one of the few vocal supporters of a controversial Department of Transportation cross-border trucking program, is urging Congress to remove defunding language pertaining to the program from a House armed forced appropriations bill.
   The Chamber sent a letter to House and Senate members urging that they remove Section 4001 from H.R. 1591, the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Health, and Iraq Accountability Act. The provision prohibits the use of funds to implement the Department of Transportation’s cross- border trucking pilot program until “simultaneous and comparable authority to operate within Mexico is made available to motor carriers domiciled in the United States.”
   Earlier this month, an amendment to the bill by Democratic Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Diane Feinstein of California sought to put the brakes on the DOT pilot program, which would open the border to a limited number of Mexican trucks and allow them to make direct deliveries to customers. The DOT announced in March that it would soon start the program with 100 Mexican trucking companies operating 1,000 trucks beyond the 20-mile corridor in place in which shuttle trucks move and drop their loads for transfer to U.S. truckers.
   The amendment requires the DOT to go through a public comment period before starting the one-year evaluation effort, and fully explain how it intends to implement safety inspections, driver hours-of-service, drug testing and other steps to ensure compliance with U.S. highway safety standards. The Bush administration has said it intends to start the program by the end of April without any comment period. The legislation would also prohibit Mexican trucks from gaining access to U.S. highways until U.S. truckers receive reciprocal access to Mexico. Under the DOT plan, U.S. carriers would gain similar access to the Mexican interior six months into the program.
   In March, two congressional leaders of transportation committees added their support to a separate bill seeking to place restrictions on the program.
   House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., and Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., signed on to cosponsor the Safe American Roads Act of 2007, introduced in March by Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan.
   The SARA legislation seeks to prohibit the DOT from granting authority to Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to operate beyond the commercial zones on the U.S.-Mexico border, except under a pilot program that meets all 22 requirements of the fiscal year 2002 DOT Appropriations Act and all requirements set forth under TEA 21 relating to pilot programs.
   It also seeks to prohibit the DOT from initiating a pilot program until U.S. motor carrier companies are allowed to begin comparable operations in Mexico. In addition, the DOT would have to provide notice and opportunity for public comment on the details of the program, including the measures in place to protect the health and safety of the public, enforcement measures, penalties for non-compliance, and safety metrics used to evaluate the program.
   The bill also includes monitoring requirements by the Inspector General's office and calls for the issuance of a formal DOT report to Congress upon the program's completion.
   Oberstar and DeFazio have been vehement in their criticism of the truck program since a DOT start-up announcement for the program in late February. Both have called for an investigation into the program by the DOT Inspector General.