GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. – The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) sent a letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today asking them to reveal details on future plans no that the Mexico cross border pilot program has expired.

The letter was signed by Todd Spencer, executive vice-president of the OOIDA and asks FMCSA acting administrator, Scott Darling to clarify concerns about the programs failure to meet the goals set.

“The data generated by the program clearly shows that the program should not be renewed or made permanent,” said Spencer. “What we would like to know is the agency’s plan going forward and we request that they be transparent about communications with Mexico and analysis of their data or lack thereof.”

The letter lists a number of concerns about the accuracy and validity of the data collected during the program. The FMCSA said that 46 carriers would need to participate in the program, while only 13 programs actually did. On top of this, ony two carriers accounted for more than 81% of all inspections conducted. The OOIDA outlines in the letter that the data is biased and doesn’t reflect the safety performance of the Mexican truck fleets.

“More alarming to note is that Mexican motor carriers are not being blacked out of service for violations that would warrant such action nor are they being placed out of service at the same rate as US-domiciled trucks and/or drivers for similar violations,” said Spencer. “Such a wide gap in enforcement action raises safety concerns in general, but especially about the program.”

To view the letter in full, please click here.