Omnibus bill ends cross border truck program
The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 signed into law by President Obama on Wednesday includes a provision preventing the Department of Transportation from funding a cross-border pilot program established during the Bush administration, which allows Mexico-based trucks into the United States, said Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-Minn.
Oberstar, who describes himself as a “staunch opponent” of the program and is chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, issued a statement saying the provision “puts an end to an ill-conceived, risky pilot program to allow trucking companies based in Mexico to operate on U.S. roads across the country.
'Safety concerns continue to drive my opposition to this program. Mexican law does not require many fundamental elements of highway safety that are required for U.S. drivers, including comparable hours-of-service restrictions, drug testing, and licensing requirements,” he said. 'I commend the Department of Transportation for moving swiftly to implement the will of Congress and terminate the program. “