WASHINGTON (PAI) - By a 74-24 margin, the U.S. Senate on Sept. 11 voted to ban uninspected Mexican trucks from U.S. roads.

The vote was an attempt to sidetrack a "pilot program" by the Bush Administration that lets Mexican big rigs from up to 100 selected firms roll over all U.S. roads, not just those within 25 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. Those firms are supposed to meet federal rules concerning driver fatigue, truck inspections, safety inspections and drug and alcohol tests for the drivers.

The Bush regime said it would let the Mexican rigs roll even though a Transportation Department Inspector General's (IG) report issued on Sept. 6 said none of the conditions had been met. That report was issued late in the afternoon, but an hour later the Bush Transportation Department announced it wanted the program to start.

That led some senators to charge that the Bush Administration was determined to let the Mexican trucks roll, and endanger U.S. drivers, without waiting for the facts.

"This administration is so anxious to move that they took only one hour to evaluate the IG report," said Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) "They tell us: 'Don't worry, be happy. We have all this under control.' I think we have had enough of those 'trust us' claims. How about verifying just a bit some of the basic information we need to know?" about the Mexican trucks, he asked.

The Teamsters have lobbied against allowed Mexican trucks on U.S. roads for the past year. The Mexican drivers' qualifications and the mechanical integrity of their trucks are one concern. Another issue is that American drivers would balk mightily at taking their rigs onto Mexican roads, where law enforcement is spotty and banditos are a real concern.

The construction industry could be among those impacted: One of the first deliveries by one of the Mexican truck drivers was steel, to a construction site in North Carolina.

The Teamsters union said according to the Inspector General's report, the Bush administration does not require U.S. inspectors to verify licenses of drivers who are not citizens of the United States or Mexico.

"We don't know who these drivers are and we don't know what they're bringing in," said Teamsters President James Hoffa. "The weapons of mass destruction George Bush is looking for could be in the backs of these trucks. The Bush administration's pilot program to allow unsafe Mexican trucks to share the highways with American drivers is dangerous, illegal and a threat to national security."