Some union officials expressed confidence Tuesday that legislation in Congress would halt Mexican trucks from making long-haul trips into the U.S.
A $410 billion spending bill offered this week includes language that would bar Mexican-licensed trucks from traveling beyond commercial zones along the border with Mexico.
The wording is aimed at ending a pilot program backed by the Bush administration that permitted up to 500 U.S.-certified trucks access deep into the United States.
Leslie Miller with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said Tuesday historically there's been very, very strong support for ending the Mexican truck program.
The legislation was expected to clear the House this week, and the Senate could take it up next week.
The Bush administration said open U.S. roads to Mexican truckers was a necessary part of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
But critics say the program would eliminate U.S. jobs -- and that Mexican trucks weren't safe for U.S. highways.
