But critics say federal inspections are sporadic at best, because the vehicle examinations represent only a fraction of the 4.5 million truck crossings last year. Teamsters President James P. Hoffa and others accused the administration of playing politics with the numbers. David Longo, of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said Mexican trucks are showing improvement. Most of the short-haul operation trucks are heavier, dingier and a decade older than American trucks. Mexican officials tell U.S. authorities that they have a better, newer fleet waiting for the long-haul runs.
Critics are skeptical.
In Laredo, a handful of inspectors for the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration share makeshift offices with the Customs Service, which examines vehicles for drugs. Overwhelmed by the volume of traffic, inspectors don't have time to check each truck. After Sanchez stopped the Mexican driver, the driver told the trooper in Spanish that he had complained about the truck's condition. Then the driver got back on the road.