GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, OOIDA, the the largest US trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers, filed an appeal in its lawsuit against the Department of Transportation and its cross-border trucking program with Mexico.

The Association asked the US Court of Appeals to grant a rehearing regarding the issue of whether commercial drivers’ licenses in Mexico should be accepted as equivalent to those issued in the United States. OOIDA said would like a panel hearing or rehearing en banc.

The court ruled in May that the DOT’s cross-border pilot program was legal despite arguments made by OOIDA that the United States has stricter highway safety regulations than Mexico. The Association contends that trucking companies based in Mexico cannot comply with U.S. regulations and should not have full access to U.S. highways. 

“Truckers here face ever-increasing restrictions in the name of safety, while no such expectations are in place in Mexico,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA executive vice-president.

“To allow access puts jobs at risk and endangers our highways,” he added.