The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently visited a few Mexican testing centers to review some requirements for the U.S.-Mexico cross border trucking agreement. While reviewing the centers, the FMCSA found a few concerns with how things were being done.
One of the big issues the FMCSA discovered was the fact that depending on when a driver took a test, their requirements were different. Before the year 2010, a driver had to take a test for his Mexican Licencia Federal de Conductor (LF), the equivalent of a U.S. CDL, from both the government and private Mexican training centers. However, the past few years have changed this requirement and truckers now only test at private training centers.
This difference in obtaining the LF proved to be a problem as some of the testing centers had requirements that did not meet the standard. In fact, at least two schools the FMCSA visited set the bar for test scores lower than the currently required 80, while others completely skipped over certain subject matters in the exam. The FMCSA also found that the test was longer in some schools and shorter in others.
After discovering these concerns, the FMCSA decided that for a driver to be able to participate in the U.S.-Mexico program they need to be tested by the Mexican government. For those drivers that have already tested and passed their exams through private centers, they would have to re-take the test through the Government of Mexico’s Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT).
The FMCSA has reviewed the test given by the SCT and have verified that it meets the current compliance standards. The test also requires a score of 80 percent to pass and has all the required sections. The FMCSA was pleased to find that the test also included a demonstration of skills on the highway.
The FMCSA and the SCT are working together to correct the concerns found at the private testing centers by sending out reminders of the requirements, and by requiring the centers to fix their errors. In six months’ time the FMCSA is going to go back to the testing centers and review the improvements.
The U.S.-Mexico agreement has faced equal sides of support and opposition. Some view it as an opportunity to provide a boost to the wavering economy, while others view it as a way for more Americans to lose their jobs. There are also many concerns about safety, whether allowing Mexican drivers on the road is a violation of U.S. security. However, the U.S. and Mexican governments are trying to work together to assuage these concerns by proving to the American populace that steps are being taken to assure their safety.
As these proceedings continue, it will be curious to see how the agreement impacts the trucking industry. There is a great need in trucking for drivers. To learn how you can do your part and become a truck driver, visit www.nationaltruckdriving jobs.com.
