Status of Mexican Trucks in the United States: Frequently Asked Questions

In the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which took effect in January 1994, the United States and Mexico agreed to allow each other?s trucks to carry goods across the border to make deliveries anywhere inside their respective countries. This provision was controversial in the United States, and a trial program begun in September 2007 by the George W. Bush Administration was defunded by Congress in March 2009. Mexico imposed tariffs on certain U.S. goods in response to the program?s termination, as permitted by NAFTA. After bilateral negotiations, the Obama Administration announced a new pilot program to allow long-haul Mexican trucks into the United States in April 2011. The first Mexican truck with long-haul operating authority crossed the border in October 2011. This report answers frequently asked questions about the pilot program permitting Mexican trucks into the United States.