As of press time, the question of what life will be like with Mexican trucks operating on U.S. highways had been put off once more — at least for 30 days.
On December 7, 2002, according to Reuters, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said it would not rule on a request to block the Bush Administration plan to allow Mexican-owned trucks wider access to U.S. roads.
The court said it would defer making a judgment on the matter at least until the administration met criteria that must be satisfied even before Mexican trucks can expand operations beyond commercial zones along the border.
A coalition consisting of the Teamsters along with environmental and consumer rights groups had requested the court intervene shortly after President Bush announced he was lifting a moratorium on Mexican trucks that had been in place since 1999.
Bush removed the ban to bring the U.S. into compliance with a major provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The court, which took the case under advisement, said it would consider the issue further once the Dept. of Transportation (DOT) was actually ready to grant permits to Mexican carriers allowing them operate here.
