In The News

More cross-border Mexican carriers sought

Concerned the cross-border trucking program hasn’t attracted enough Mexican trucking firms, U.S. Department of Transportation officials are urging more carriers to apply.

At a Feb. 24 meeting in Tijuana, Mexico, across from the Otay Mesa, Calif., border crossing, DOT officials said more Mexican trucker involvement is needed to show Mexican trucks can operate safely, the San Diego Tribune reported.

While 21 Mexican companies have applied to join the program, according to a DOT Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration official, only two have been cleared to operate and a third carrier has been found to violate U.S. leasing laws.

Members of Canacar, Mexico’s trucking group, who attended the Feb. 24 meeting, complained that Mexican truckers face more stringent requirements than their U.S. counterparts under the current pilot project, the paper reported. A Canacar official said the process is complicated, expensive and “hasn’t brought us any benefit.”

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