As part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), commercial trucks from Mexico were to be allowed to travel throughout the United States beginning in January 2000. Because of concerns about the safety of these vehicles, the United States has limited Mexican truck operations to commercial zones near the border. In February 2001, a NAFTA arbitration panel ruled that the United States blanket refusal to process applications by Mexican trucking companies to provide cross-border services beyond the commercial zones violated its NAFTA obligations. The panel noted, however, that the United States could require Mexican motor carriers to meet U.S. safety requirements. In February 2001, the administration announced that it would give Mexican trucks access to all U.S. highways by January 2002. The Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2002, enacted in December 2001, provided increased funding for safety activities related to Mexican motor carriers and set forth a series of requirements that the Department of Transportation (DOT) must meet before Mexican trucks can travel beyond the commercial zones.

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North American Free Trade Agreement: Coordinated Operational Plan Needed to Ensure Mexican Trucks' Compliance With U.S. Standards

This report details (1) the extent to which Mexican-domiciled commercial trucks are likely to travel beyond the U.S. border commercial zones once the border is fully opened, (2) U.S. government agencies' efforts to ensure that Mexican commercial carriers meet U.S. safety and emissions standards, and (3) how Mexican government and private sector efforts contribute to ensuring that Mexican commercial vehicles entering the United States meet U.S. safety and emissions standards. To address these objectives, we met with and obtained documents from a wide variety of officials from the U.S. and Mexican governments and industry representatives.