The economic devastation has shaken Mexico, sparking increased political instability and violence. And the agreement has not spurred a promised improvement in Mexican workplace democracy. The trucking provisions would have given unsafe trucks from Mexico unlimited access immediately to the border states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, and to all of the United States and Canada in the year 2000. Currently, trucks from Mexico are confined to narrow strips along the border, where freight is picked up by American drivers for delivery in the United States. The big trucking firms already have set up partnerships with Mexican freight companies.
Mexican trucks are three times as old as U.S. trucks and up to twice as heavy.
They are not required to comply with the same emissions standards, and many are not properly insured to operate in the United States. In Texas alone, there are 1. 9 million border crossings from Mexico a year, according to the General Accounting Office. Fewer than one of every 200 trucks from Mexico is inspected at the border. Problems include improperly licensed and underage drivers, broken suspensions, substandard tires, inoperable brakes, and unsecured loads, including toxic and hazardous materials. Enforcement of trucking safety provisions are not in place at the border.