9th Circuit Court Okay Mexican Trucks On US Highways

Mexican trucks could be rolling down the Borman Expressway in a few days now that a court has denied an appeal by opponents of a US government free trade plan to allow Mexican trucks into the United States.

The 9th Circuit Court of appeals rejected a challenge to a US DOT plan to allow Mexican trucks free access to US interstates as part of a pilot program.

The Borman Expressway in Northwest Indiana -- I-80 & I-94 -- could be one of the popular Mexico to Canada routes the newly admitted Mexican trucks might take while plying international free trade.

Writes John Crawley of Reuters:

The Bush administration can proceed with a plan to open the U.S. border to long haul Mexican trucks as early as next week after an appeals court rejected a bid by labor, consumer and environmental interests to block the initiative.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco late on Friday denied an emergency petition sought by the Teamsters union, the Sierra Club and consumer group Public Citizen to halt the start of a one-year pilot program that was approved by Congress after years of legal and political wrangling.

More links:

Mexican Trucks Could Hit US Interstates This Weekend

I-94 Plans Seek Mexico To Canada Superhighway

Borman Expressway Department of Transportation I-80 I-94 Mexican trucks NAFTA superhighway Northwest Indiana pilot program trucks

Mexican Trucks Could Hit US Interstates This Weekend

Trucks on the Borman Expressway.
New rules will allow some Mexican trucks
free travel throughout the United States.

A US Department of Transportation pilot program that would allow Mexican trucks to cross the US - Mexico border could begin this Labor Day weekend, reports Today's Trucking Online.

Five groups in the U.S. have filed lawsuits seeking an emergency stay of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's plan to proceed with the controversial Mexican truck pilot project as early as this Labor Day weekend.

The Teamsters union says it was told by FMCSA officials that the government agency intends to grant authority on Sept. 1 for Mexican trucks to drive beyond the 15-mile border zone throughout the entire United States.

"What a slap in the face to American workers -- opening the highways to dangerous trucks on Labor Day weekend, one of the busiest driving weekends of the year," said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa.

It will be interesting to see what effect this has in the Northwest Indiana region as we have one of the busiest east - west transportation corridors -- I-80 and I-94 -- in the United States and is a major route for Mexico to Ontario, Canada traffic.



Borman Expressway NAFTA superhighway Mexican trucks pilot program Department of Transportation I-80 I-94 Northwest Indiana trucks