FMCSA gets Mexico report late Thursday; Hill says trucks to roll soon

FMCSA Administrator John Hill announced Thursday night that Stagecoach Cartage and Distribution of El Paso, Texas, would be the first U.S. carrier to operate in Mexico under the demonstration project. (The Trucker photo/Kevin Jones).

The Trucker Staff

9/6/2007

WASHINGTON — Stagecoach Cartage and Distribution from El Paso, Texas, Thursday was given approval to operate in Mexico, and Transportes Olympic of Nuevo Leon, was cleared to operate in the U.S., marking the start of a year-long cross border demonstration project that will allow U.S. trucking companies to operate in Mexico for the first time, and change the way a select group of Mexican trucking companies operate in the United States.

The cross border trucking demonstration project was cleared to begin today with the release of the U.S. DOT Inspector General’s (IG) official report – mandated by Congress – on the safety of the program and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s response to this report, which also was submitted to Congress earlier today. The report confirmed FMCSA has taken the necessary steps to ensure the safe implementation of the demonstration project. The FMCSA will oversee the demonstration program.

Both companies can cross the border immediately but may not do so for several days while they determine new routes, said John Hill, who runs the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates truck safety.

"What we're hearing from the carriers is they could be ready to go as soon as days from now," Hill told reporters on a conference call from Washington.

Whether the project would start Friday had been in question most of the day Thursday. Some sources said the IG report would be issued Wednesday and the program would begin Thursday. But no report was delivered Wednesday.

Then Thursday, Hill scheduled a conference call at 4 p.m. EDT Thursday, saying it was for the purpose of providing an update on the program.

But the call was cancelled three minutes before it was to begin, only to be rescheduled for 9 p.m. EDT Thursday. The notice to media about the 9 p.m. call was delivered by e-mail shortly before 8:30 p.m. EDT.

“This long-awaited project will protect public safety on American highways as we work to both save consumers money and help our economy,â€