2.) Commercial passenger vehicles enter the United States through the U.S. Customs Service’s passenger vehicle ports of entry, which are physically separate from the crossings that commercial trucks use to enter the United States. For the most part, the states have adopted the federal standards. FHWA and state safety inspectors use these procedures when inspecting commercial passenger vehicles entering the United States from Mexico. Limited Information Exists on Commercial Passenger Vehicles Entering the United States From Mexico

Customs data show that, from June 1996 through May 1997 (the latest data available), there were an average of about 598 northbound commercial passenger vehicle crossings each day along the U.S.-Mexico border (see table 1). While Customs records the number of crossings, it does not keep records on the number or type of individual commercial passenger vehicles that cross the border. FHWA inspectors in Texas and state inspectors in California conducted border safety inspections of 528 commercial passenger vehicles from January through May 1997 out of an estimated 90,000 border crossings during that period. About 22 percent of the vehicles inspected were placed out of service. Some of these were vehicles owned and operated by U.S. carriers. FHWA inspectors in California and state inspectors in Texas had not conducted any inspections as of May 1997. The dearth of safety inspections, coupled with insufficient information on the number and kinds of Mexican commercial passenger vehicles entering the United States, precludes any assessment of whether these commercial passenger vehicles are safe and are being operated safely. Safety Inspections in California

FHWA is not conducting safety inspections of commercial passenger vehicles entering California from Mexico. 4). Twenty-eight (21 percent) of these vehicles were placed out of service for serious safety violations, such as inoperative brakes or air suspension problems. Of these 28 vehicles, 24 were owned and operated by U.S. carriers, 17 of them by a single U.S. company. Texas safety inspectors are not inspecting commercial passenger vehicles arriving from Mexico because (1) their priority is to inspect commercial trucks entering the United States from Mexico, (2) FHWA is currently inspecting commercial passenger vehicles at the border, and (3) they need a budget for these activities from the state legislature and inspection locations that provide for passenger safety while inspections are taking place.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed whether commercial passenger vehicles entering the United States from Mexico are meeting U.S. safety standards, focusing on: (1) the number and types of commercial passenger vehicles entering U.S. border states from Mexico; and (2) actions taken by the Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) and U.S. border states to provide safety inspections for commercial passenger vehicles arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) according to the U.S. Customs Service, there were about 218,000 commercial passenger vehicle crossings from Mexico to the United States, a daily average of 598 crossings, from June 1996 through May 1997, the latest data available; (2) about 85 percent of these crossings occurred at four crossing points, two in California and two in Texas; (3) while Customs records the number of vehicle crossings from Mexico into the United States, many of these vehicles may cross the border several times a day (e.g., airport shuttles) and each crossing is included in Customs' vehicle crossing count; (4) furthermore, Customs does not record the identity of individual vehicles, the type of vehicle (e.g., motor coaches or vans), or whether the vehicle is owned by either a U.S. or Mexican carrier; (5) as a result, no reliable information exists either on the actual number of Mexican-owned commercial passenger vehicles that enter the United States or on how many of each type of vehicle enters the country--information needed to assess the extent to which these vehicles are safe and are operated safely; (6) FHwA and state inspectors have carried out few safety inspections of commercial passenger vehicles entering the United States from Mexico primarily because their emphasis has been on inspecting commercial trucks; (7) FHwA inspectors in Texas and state inspectors in California conducted border safety inspections of 528 commercial passenger vehicles from January through May 1997 out of an estimated 90,000 crossings; (8) about 22 percent of these commercial passenger vehicles were placed out of service for serious safety violations, such as steering or brake problems; (9) FHwA inspectors in California and state inspectors in Texas had not conducted any inspections as of May 1997; and (10) the dearth of safety inspections, coupled with insufficient information on the number and kinds of Mexican-owned commercial passenger vehicles entering the United States, precludes any assessment of whether these commercial passenger vehicles are safe and are being operated safely.