Dec. 7, 2007, 10:38PM
55 Mexican trucks have U.S. clearance


By MEENA THIRUVENGADAM
San Antonio Express-news

Despite congressional action to pull funding for the program under which they are operating, at least 55 Mexican trucks have received approval to make deliveries anywhere within the U.S., according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

An undisclosed number of trucks from another 37 Mexican carriers also have been authorized to participate in the program pending the filing of proof of insurance. Forty-one trucks from four U.S. carriers, which have shown less interest in the program than their Mexican counterparts, have gained similar access into Mexico.

The trucks are participants in a cross-border trucking program aimed at satisfying one of the last outstanding components of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Under the agreement, Mexican, Canadian and U.S. commercial trucks were to gain access to one another's roads within a few years of the signing of NAFTA. But court cases, union opposition and politics have delayed the border's opening.

The program, announced in February, aims to test the safety and security of allowing cross-border trucking. Trucks began crossing in September.

Fernando Páez, owner of the first two Mexican rigs to participate in the DOT program, said he has been getting calls from people interested in shipping goods directly to the U.S. from Mexico. But his company, Transportes Olympic, cannot plan for the future given the program's uncertainty, he said.

"We hope it goes forward, but there are still some issues that need to be decided," he said.

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