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April 26, 2000 9:10 AM, EDT

What do we know about Mexican motor carriers operating in this country, and when did we know it?

The answer to the first question is “not much.” The answer to the second is “a while ago.”

Government officials promise that the lack of accurate and easily available records on operating authority, company safety history, enforcement actions and insurance will be remedied soon, but for now even they acknowledge the systems in place cannot provide the necessary information.

Never has more attention been paid to the operating and safety records of Mexican trucking companies. Although the Clinton administration has twice delayed implementation of a North American Free Trade Agreement provision that would open the United States to Mexican trucks beyond the narrow commercial zones that line the U.S. side of the border, there is mounting pressure from free trade advocates and the Mexican government to let NAFTA do its economic magic.

For the full story, see the Apr. 24 print edition of Transport Topics. .