ATA sees progress with DOT's crossborder longhaul trucking pilot program

American Trucking Associations' president and CEO Bill Graves recently announced that he sees progress in the Department of Transportation's pilot program to restart a longhaul cross-border trucking program, The Trucker reports.

Recently, the ATA expressed concerns to the DOT about the proposal to pay for and provide electronic on-board recorders to Mexican trucks participating in the program. Furthermore, the DOT has changed the requirement to allow for global positioning systems (GPS) to also be used for tracking purposes to ensure compliance with the U.S. hours of service regulations.

"This proposal requires Mexican carriers to follow all the same rules and regulations that their American counterparts are subject to and takes steps to monitor Mexican trucks to ensure that those rules are being followed," Graves told the news provider.

Companies may wish enroll their operators in online truck driver safety training courses to stay current with emerging trends impacting the industry.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, more than 540,000 vehicle truck inspections occurred between October and December 2010. Moreover, state authorities conducted nearly 1,300 compliance reviews during the same time period.

By Anna Byrne

ATA sees progress with DOT's crossborder longhaul trucking pilot program

Thursday, April 14th, 2011