Byron Dorgan: “The accident was 100 percent avoidable. The truck had numerous safety issues and should not have been operating in the…”

“The accident was 100 percent avoidable. The truck had numerous safety issues and should not have been operating in the United States. For this, our lives are forever changed and we lost three of the most incredible people [from our family]. This was a truck from Mexico headed north on I-5, a truck that had mechanical problems, a truck that had numerous safety issues. Three people are dead. This is not a legal issue, not for the Senate; this is a safety issue. And if you believe that you have all of the assurances you need that this will be safe, then I understand your vote. But if you look at what the inspector general report says clearly--the inspector general report says we don't have information on these key issues, the issues we would need to know before we decide to allow long-haul Mexican trucking into our country. As I indicated earlier, the American Trucking Association is an association that supported the North American Free Trade Agreement. Clayton Boyce, the vice president of public affairs for the American Trucking Association, said today, in fact: The group has grave concerns about how the pilot project will be carried out and whether it will be safe.”