U.S. Officials Plea for Open Mexican Truck Borders

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters rebuffed opponents who say the entry of Mexican trucks will jeopardize safety as she urged Congress to stop opposing Mexican carriers on U.S. roads.

Peters, speaking in Washington today, said Mexican trucks being allowed into the U.S. under a pilot program are as safe as U.S. vehicles. She and U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said closing the border again, as Congress would do under legislation approved by both chambers, would also hurt the economy. Their remarks drew protests from labor groups.

``Finding an efficient way to transport goods across our southern border is a critical issue,'' Gutierrez said. ``We can be safe and trade at the same time.''

Peters and Gutierrez stepped up the debate today by asking Congress to remove language from transportation-spending bills that would halt the pilot. The program, which began last month, allows trucks and drivers from as many as 100 Mexican trucking companies open access to U.S. roads.

The Teamsters union, whose members include truck drivers for United Parcel Service Inc. and YRC Worldwide Inc., says Mexican trucks aren't inspected adequately by the U.S. Among union chants aimed at Peters, Gutierrez and Luis Tellez, Mexico's minister of transportation, at their press conference: ``Mary had a little lamb; this inspection is a scam.''

John Hill, head of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said the agency and its state partners have more than enough trucking inspectors on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Wary

While U.S. trucking companies would like to participate in the pilot program, they are wary because of the uncertainty prompted by the congressional opposition, Hill said.

U.S. truckers are ``reluctant to make the kind of investment they need to make if it's not going to be a permanent program,'' he said.

Five Mexican trucking companies with a total of 15 trucks have been cleared to drive in the U.S., Transportation Department spokesman Brian Turmail said in an interview.

Melissa Mazzella DeLaney, a spokeswoman for the carrier- safety agency, said three U.S. trucking companies with a total of 30 trucks have been cleared to drive south of the border.