WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to end the controversial cross-border Mexican truck program that allows select Mexican carriers to haul freight beyond the longstanding 25-mile commercial restriction zone at the border.

President Bush, however, vowed to veto the bill that kills the pilot program, which was passed by a vote of 395-18.

The bill still has to go to the Senate, which must pass the bill by a two-thirds vote to override a presidential veto.

Despite the vote, the Department of Transportation appears set to forge ahead with the program, according to a Reuters report. Last month, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, announced it would extend the pilot program for another two years.

The newest vote is the second major effort by Congress to halt the program.

Earlier this year, the Senate voted 75 to 23 and the House voted 411 to 3 to keep the border closed to Mexican trucks. However, the DOT kept it going anyway, arguing that the previous bill’s language refers to funds "to establish" a program, and doesn’t apply to the program already underway.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), which along with the Teamsters and a handful of special interest groups, has been actively fighting the Mexican truck program, arguing that Mexican carriers don’t abide by the same strict drug testing or hours-of-service rules U.S. truckers have to.

"Our members have been active in fighting this program for a long time by voicing their concerns to lawmakers, and we thank them for staying involved," said Todd Spencer, OOIDA executive vice president.