| DeFazio Examines Cross-Border Trucking in Hearing Today | | Print | |
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March 13, 2007 WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) held a hearing today to examine the current status of cross-border trucking operations between the United States and Mexico, and to assess the safety issues surrounding a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) plan to allow 100 Mexico-based trucking companies access to U.S. highways beyond the commercial zone. DeFazio made the following statement after the hearing: "Virtually every member of Congress at the hearing, both Democratic and Republican, expressed serious concerns about this pilot program and the potential for compromised safety on our U.S. highways. I have always opposed NAFTA, and have long been alarmed at the prospect of Mexico-domiciled motor carriers operating beyond the current 20-mile commercial zone at our southern border. I am not confident that Mexican-owned trucking companies will meet U.S. safety and environmental standards. "The next step will be to assess what steps the committee can take to strengthen the proposed pilot program or to delay implementation of the program with the goal of better providing protections for the American traveling public." |