Fewer commercial drivers from Mexico are being flagged for vehicle safety violations at ports of entry following the launch of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s (ADOT) International Border Inspection Qualification program last year.
Inspectors from the U.S. Enforcement and Compliance Division made eight trips to Mexico in 2017 to educate trucking companies and truck drivers about vehicle safety requirements to operate on Arizona roads.
Since August, just 0.3 percent of the 667 drivers who have been educated by the program have been flagged for required immediate repairs at Arizona ports of entry. The rate for commercial drivers who have not taken part in the ADOT program being flagged is 5 percent.
“This outstanding program has been great both for Arizona and for our neighbors in Sonora,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “In addition to making roads across Arizona safer, we are reducing inspection times and making Arizona’s international ports more appealing to commercial carriers.”
Commercial drivers who complete the ADOT International Border Inspection Qualification program can also ask inspectors questions before approaching the border through a smartphone app. That enables trucking companies to make needed repairs before being flagged.
“More trucks entering the country in Arizona means an even greater boost to our economy,” Halikowski said. “Those drivers use more services and buy more items in our state, which helps not only border communities but all of Arizona.”