Safe American Roads Act (2007)

The Safe American Roads Act of 2007 (H.R.1773), introduced on March 29, 2007, sets strict limits on access to U.S. roads by trucks based in Mexico.

Bill summary
The Safe American Roads Act of 2007 (H.R.1773) would allow the Department of Transportation to set up a pilot program for restricting the number of trucks originating in Mexico and given access to the United States beyond the current 20-mile border zone. The DOT had planned to initiate its own pilot program, but many in Congress found the DOT program insufficiently rigorous. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chair James Oberstar (D-Minn.) explained that instead of the DOT program, "the bill provides the U.S. with an opportunity to test, evaluate, and learn from the impacts of allowing Mexico-domiciled trucks on our nation’s highways, but only once a strict set of prerequisites are met and only under a specific set of conditions." The legislation would prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from allowing Mexico-domiciled trucks in the U.S. except under the conditions of the pilot program. The legislation would restrict the number of carriers and vehicles allowed, and sets additional verification, inspection, and qualification measures for entrance into the U.S. The pilot program would not last longer than three years, and would be reviewed by the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation, as well as an independent review panel.



The bill passed the House by a vote of 411-3 on May 15, 2007.

