WASHINGTON — The Teamsters and special interest group Public Citizen are seeking to block the U.S.’s cross-border trucking program with Mexico.

In a lawsuit filed Friday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco against the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the groups allege that the pilot program sets standards that aren’t stringent enough for Mexican trucks and drivers.

Reportedly, seven Mexican carriers have already applied to participate in the program, which could start in just a few weeks.

In July, the DOT ratified a new three-year program that would allow Mexican truckers access to the U.S. market beyond the 20-mile restriction zone they’re currently limited to.

The Obama administration, pressured by a then-Democratic Congress, shut down the former Bush administration’s cross-border demonstration program. However, the White House quickly put in motion a new, permanent program when Mexico retaliated with tariffs on U.S. exports to Mexico.

Under the agreement, Mexico will start to phase out the tariffs when the program begins.