U.S. roads are not ready for Mexican trucks and drivers. The DOT's own report admits that federal and state governments, with the exception of California, have not done what it takes to keep out unsafe Mexican trucks. Not many of them do. Sadly, these are not abstract concerns. The rhetoric of free trade must give way to the harsh reality that lives are at stake.
Tragedies involving Mexican trucks already are all too common.
A Mexican truck that illegally ventured far outside the commercial zone killed four commuters in Orange County, California. And we should not forget what these Mexican trucks will carry. Food safety advocates warn that unrestricted truck traffic from Mexico will bring ever-increasing amounts of uninspected food products, like the imported strawberries and raspberries that caused an outbreak of hepatitis A in 1997. Untrained, underpaid drivers. Deadly toxic spills.