Texas Governor Greg Abbott has agreed to ease state inspection requirements for semi trucks at one border crossing after reaching an agreement with one Mexican Governor.
As of Wednesday, April 13th, Texas State Troopers will not be inspecting every commercial vehicle entering the country through the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge due to an agreement reached with Nuevo León Gov. Samuel Alejandro García Sepúlveda. García Sepúlveda has agreed to increase security enforcement measures on the Mexican side of the border in exchange for the loosening of Texas trooper inspections. So far, the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge is the only port of entry that falls under this deal.
According to Austin American-Statesman Governor Abbott says that he is willing to work with Governors of other Mexican states bordering Texas to reach similar agreements. Conversations about these types of agreements are expected to start on Thursday, April 14th.
“Until, however, those agreements are reached with those states, the Texas Department of Public Safety will continue to thoroughly inspect vehicles entering the United States from every Mexican state except Nuevo León,” he said.
Abbott says that nearly 25% of the commercial vehicles inspected in the week since he implemented the new rule “were unsafe for Texas roads and were removed from service.” However, Texas trucking organizations say the subsequent wait times at the border simply aren’t sustainable.
“The current situation on the border simply cannot be sustained,” said John Esparza, president of the Texas Trucking Association. “As delays increase at the border, deliveries are postponed or canceled, perishable goods spoil, and grocery and retail store shelves begin to empty. Exports in Texas also await empty trucks on the Mexican side of the border and the lost revenue due to these delays will be felt by consumers as the price of goods increase across the country.”
Abbott says that the 60% drop in commercial traffic since the new inspection rules “is a very high price to pay with regard to what is going on on the border … Sometimes it just takes action like that to spur sitting down and working things out.”