United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1997-04-09 monographic deposited born digital 33 p. GA 1.13:RCED-97-68 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-97-68 P0b002ee18037825e f:rc97068 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-RCED-97-68 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-97-68 RCED-97-68 Customs administration Safety regulation International trade Motor vehicle safety International cooperation State-administered programs Federal/state relations International agreements Trucking operations Law enforcement North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA California Mexico Arizona Texas FHwA Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program Letter Report RCED GAO reviewed the results of federal and state inspections of Mexican trucks entering the United States in 1996, focusing on: (1) actions by the federal government and border states to increase truck safety enforcement at the border; and (2) the federal enforcement strategy to ensure that trucks from Mexico comply with safety standards when entering the United States.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) from January through December 1996, federal and state officials conducted more than 25,000 inspections of trucks from Mexico; (2) on average each month, about 45 percent of the vehicles were placed out of service for serious safety violations, such as for having substandard tires or for being loaded unsafely; (3) this rate compares unfavorably to the 28 percent out-of-service rate for U.S. trucks inspected across the United States in fiscal year 1995; (4) however, because inspectors target for inspection those vehicles and drivers that appear to have safety deficiencies, their selections are not random; (5) as a result, the out-of-service rates may not necessarily reflect the general condition of all vehicles; (6) although border inspection officials believe that trucks from Mexico are safer than they were in late 1995, the monthly out-of-service rates for trucks from Mexico in 1996 ranged from 39 percent to 50 percent, with no consistent trend; (7) the border states of Arizona, California, and Texas have increased their capability to inspect trucks at major border locations; (8) collectively, the three states had 93 state truck inspectors assigned to border crossing locations as of January 1997; (9) in addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) approved 13 new temporary positions (2-year appointments) to place federal safety inspectors at major border crossing locations; (10) California, with about 24 percent of the truck traffic from Mexico, opened two large permanent inspection facilities; (11) it has the most rigorous inspection program, with the goal of inspecting, at least once every 90 days, every truck entering the state from Mexico; (12) while both Texas and Arizona, collectively with more than three-quarters of the truck traffic from Mexico, have more than doubled the number of inspectors at border crossing locations, their efforts are less comprehensive; (13) under a broad strategy to help create a "compliance mind-set" for Mexican trucks crossing into U.S. commercial zones, DOT has undertaken a number of activities to promote truck safety; (14) in February 1997, DOT announced that its program that provides grants for statewide safety enforcement activities will incorporate performance-based goals to increase truck and driver safety; and (15) also, in March 1997, DOT submitted a legislative proposal to the Congress as part of the reauthorization of the Intermodal Surface T* https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-97-68/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-97-68.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-97-68/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-97-68.pdf GAO/RCED-97-68 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-97-68 Letter Report GAO/RCED-97-68; Commercial Trucking: Safety Concerns About Mexican Trucks Remain Even as Inspection Activity Increases; Customs administration Safety regulation International trade Motor vehicle safety International cooperation State-administered programs Federal/state relations International agreements Trucking operations Law enforcement North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA California Mexico Arizona Texas FHwA Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program