OOIDA intervenes in lawsuit to block cross-border trucking program with Mexico

April 10, 2015

Claiming “a unique practical and legal perspective,” the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn. (OOIDA) has filed a petition to intervene in a cross-border trucking lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

Kevin Jones

The lawsuit, filed in March by the Teamsters and highway safety groups, challenges the government’s decision to grant permanent operating authority to Mexico-domiciled trucking companies to conduct long-haul trucking services throughout the United States.

OOIDA’s petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9^th Circuit states that as the representative of small-business truck drivers, the association’s concerns differ compared to the other petitioners, both regarding the ability of Mexico-domiciled trucking companies to operate safely on U.S. highways, and in the economic interests of small-business truck drivers.

FMCSA’s three-year pilot program did not generate enough data to reach an informed conclusion about whether the border should be opened, OOIDA contends, and the association previously questioned the evaluation and validity of the information collected during the pilot program.

OOIDA argues that the border should not be opened unless and until Mexico establishes equivalent regulatory trucking standards to those of the U.S. and proves that its trucking industry can fully comply with U.S. safety regulations.

About the Author

Kevin Jones | Editor

Kevin has served as editor-in-chief of Trailer/Body Builders magazine since 2017—just the third editor in the magazine’s 60 years. He is also editorial director for Endeavor Business Media’s Commercial Vehicle group, which includes FleetOwner, Bulk Transporter, Refrigerated Transporter, American Trucker, and Fleet Maintenance magazines and websites.

Working from Beaufort, S.C., Kevin has covered trucking and manufacturing for nearly 20 years. His writing and commentary about the trucking industry and, previously, business and government, has been recognized with numerous state, regional, and national journalism awards.