A tiny portion Critics disagree, fretting that border officials can't possibly perform proper inspections on Mexican trucks heading north. Worse, Mexico does not have a reliable safety inspection system of its own, according to a recent study by Public Citizen, the consumer group founded by Ralph Nader. Only a tiny portion of the thousands of trucks arriving at the border each day actually undergoes inspections. Studies by the U.S. Department of Transportation showed that more than 40 percent of Mexican trucks that underwent border inspections were taken off the road in 1997 and 1998, compared with 25 percent for U.S. rigs and 17 percent for Canadian ones. Opponents urge the U.S. government to continue blocking Mexican trucks, even if it means paying trade sanctions.
Mexican officials say they have improved their inspections in the last few years.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Luis Ernesto Derbez, Mexico's economy minister, appointed a group of experts this week to explore safety concerns. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is expected to discuss trucking in meetings Thursday with Mexican governors in Dallas. It remains unclear when the border will actually open to Mexican trucks or when the United States would have to pay trade sanctions. U.S. truckers also would be allowed to enter Mexico beyond the border zone, although very few are expected to do so. Trucks here range from shiny new rigs to clunkers spewing so much black exhaust that parts of the highway seem hazy.