[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 14, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E189-E190]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              INTRODUCTION OF THE FOREIGN TRUCK SAFETY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 14, 2001

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill that I 
believe is paramount to keeping our highways and byways safe. The 
Foreign Truck Safety Act would mandate that all foreign trucks at our 
southern border be inspected if they have not passed inspection in the 
previous twelve months. This is necessary because last week a North 
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) dispute panel ruled that our 
southern border with Mexico should be opened to unfettered cross-border 
trucking. The new Bush administration also stated they would abide by 
that ruling and open the border.
  This ruling means that Mexican trucks, trucks that fail 35 percent of 
inspections across the border zone, and 50 percent of inspections in 
Texas, would be free to roam all throughout the United States. Since 
NAFTA went into effect in 1994, these trucks have been able to cross 
into a small NAFTA border zone. The border was scheduled to have been 
fully opened in December 1995, but due to real safety concerns and the 
high rate of failed inspections of Mexican trucks, the border was kept 
closed by the Clinton Administration.
  The highly respected and non-political U.S. DOT Office of Inspector 
General (IG) concluded in a November 1999 report that ``Adequate 
mechanisms are not in place to control access of Mexico-domiciled motor 
carriers into the United States.'' In a December 1998 report the IG 
stated, ``We concluded that far too few trucks are being inspected at 
the U.S.-Mexico border, and that too few trucks comply with U.S. 
standards.'' And it has not gotten better since: in 2000 35 percent of 
Mexican trucks that were inspected were put out of service for 
significant safety violations. And what's discouraging is that less 
than two percent of Mexican trucks were inspected.
  In addition, since NAFTA was signed in 1993, Mexico has known that it 
would have to harmonize it's trucking laws and regulations with the 
U.S. and Canada (whose trucks have as good a safety record as U.S. 
trucks), and yet it has failed to do so. For example, the Land 
Transportation Standards Subcommittee (LTSS) was created by NAFTA to 
harmonize transportation standards and regulations by the year 2000. 
However, even though we are in 2001, Mexico does not have vehicle 
maintenance standards, roadside inspections, safety rating systems, a 
drug and alcohol testing program, or hours of service regulations. And 
Mexico has just started the process of mandating logbooks for record 
keeping, while the U.S. DOT is in the process of upgrading logbooks to 
electronic record keeping. Most importantly, Mexico allows trucks 
upwards of 100,000 pounds on its highways, while the U.S. limit is 
80,000 pounds.
  Without an adequate inspection system at the border, it is just a 
matter of time before 100,000 pound, unsafe trucks with drivers who 
haven't slept in days are driving straight into a tragedy on one of our 
highways. That's why the Foreign Truck Safety Act is necessary. In 
addition to mandating the inspection of foreign trucks, the bill would 
authorize the border

[[Page E190]]

states to impose and collect fees on trucks to cover the cost of these 
inspections. By requiring all trucks to pass inspections before 
entering the United States, we can help to limit the risks these unsafe 
trucks pose to our citizens. This country entered into NAFTA in order 
to better the lives of our citizens. I urge all of my colleagues to 
cosponsor and help me pass this legislation, because without it, we 
will simply put our citizens in more jeopardy. Thank you.

                          ____________________