Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
1 NW OOIDA Drive, Grain Valley, MO  64029    
Web site: www.ooida.com

Contact: Norita Taylor, norita_taylor@ooida.com 
Headquarters: (800) 444-5791

(Grain Valley, Nov. 2, 2007) – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) often claims Mexican trucks are safer than U.S. trucks, but available data doesn’t back up those claims. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) requested that FMCSA provide explanations as to why certain carriers have been given approval to enter the United States when little or no data is available to demonstrate how they have fully complied with all applicable laws on safety and security. The request was included in the Association’s comments posted to the FMCSA public notice in the Federal Register. That notice discloses several Mexico-domiciled motor carriers that have passed a Pre-Authority Safety Audit (PASA).

In review of the published notice, OOIDA found it only shows whether certain Mexican motor carriers passed certain categories, but nothing about the data relied upon to make those determinations.

OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer commented, “It’s like they are still making it up as they go along. They just go ahead and say it passes, therefore it’s supposed to be accepted as true.”

Because no specifics were available in the public notice, OOIDA then reviewed FMCSA’s SafetStat database and found several red flags on the companies receiving a go from PASA.

For example, one approved carrier, Avomex International, shows a pattern of tolerance for hours-of-service violations by its drivers. During 172 inspections conducted between Sept. 21, 2006, and Sept. 21, 2007, the company was cited for 206 violations. Running five trucks in the United States, that averages slightly more than 40 violations per truck.

“And that gets an approved PASA?” asked Spencer. “This is just one of several examples we found that no authority should be granted to any Mexican motor carriers.”

The full comments posted by OOIDA can be accessed here, or by request from norita_taylor@ooida.com.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 157,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, MO, area.