Audit Cites Lax Truck Inspections at Borders

Federal and state governments are doing a poor job of inspecting trucks at the U.S.-Mexico border, a U.S. Transportation Department audit found, and that could affect public safety next year, when international trucking expands under the North American Free Trade Agreement. An El Paso crossing had an average of 1,300 trucks daily, but was staffed by just one inspector, who looked at only 10 to 14 trucks a day. Elsewhere, auditors found that too few inspections were conducted, and that those checks failed a high percentage of trucks.