Mexican-U.S. Trade Agreement Conceals Trucking Safety Risks

Friday, August 12th, 2011 | Attorney Websites

A new trade agreement between Mexico and the United States announced last month by the Department of Transportation would boost trade and commerce between the two countries.  However, it is a clause in the agreement that would allow Mexican trucks to freely operate inside the United States that has raised concerns among Los Angeles truck accident lawyers.

The agreement would allow Mexican freight trucks on U.S. highways, and this possibility has already generated controversy.  Several lawmakers are opposed to allowing Mexican trucks to freely operate on U.S. highways.  The concerns are not just for job losses in the United States, but also for the safety standards of these trucks.  According to lawmakers opposed to the agreement, the trucking safety culture in Mexico is vastly different from, and inferior to, that in the United States.  The trucking industry in Mexico is less regulated, and not subjected to the same number of inspections as here.

The Department of Transportation is moving to assuage concerns about trucking safety, by assuring Americans that Mexican trucks will be electronically monitored once they begin operating inside the United States, and that drivers will be subjected to random drug and alcohol tests.  Additionally, the Department of Transportation says it will ensure that Mexican drivers who operate inside the United States can speak English.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has a hard enough time inspecting trucks operated by American trucking companies, and keeping medically unfit and intoxicated truckers off our highways.  It’s hard to understand how the agency plans to ensure the safety of Mexican freight truck drivers who will now be allowed to operate here.

It’s not just the safety standards of trucking companies and truck drivers that is a question here.  It is also the fact that in Mexico, hijacking of commercial trucks is rampant, with more than 10,000 trucks being hijacked every year for narcotics trafficking.  It’s reasonable to fear that some of those trucks will find their way into the United States too.

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