DOT IG Announces Final Audit of NAFTA Cross-Border Trucking Pilot Program
On Wednesday, July 30th, the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General’s Office (IG) announced that they have begun development of the final audit of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) pilot program for granting long-haul authority to Mexico-domiciled motor carriers. The audit was a requirement of P.L. 110-28, the “U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007.”
Consistent with the legislation, the objectives for the final audit will be to determine whether:
1. The Department has established sufficient mechanisms to determine whether the pilot program is having any adverse effects on motor carrier safety,
2. Federal and State monitoring and enforcement activities are sufficient to ensure that participants in the pilot program are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and
3. The pilot program consists of a representative and adequate sample of Mexico-domiciled carriers likely to engage in cross-border operations beyond the United States municipalities and commercial zones on the United States-Mexico border.
There have been 13 companies granted operating authority. These 13 companies include 43 vehicles and 39 drivers, and have crossed into the US 8,544 times and have been subject to 3,974 inspections. Of the 13 active companies only nine have been given a satisfactory safety rating, with the remaining four being “unrated.” In July 2011, the pilot program was finalized to comply with a provision of NAFTA. Agency officials are worried by the low participation in the cross-border trucking program with Mexico and that this could ultimately jeopardize the program.
Souce: Transportation Intermediaries Association
