According to a report published by Reuters, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said on Wednesday that Washington aimed to have Mexican trucks on U.S. roads by early 2002 but the date could be delayed to ensure rigorous safety programs were in place.

Reuters quoted Mineta in saying that the government of U.S. President George W. Bush was committed to opening access to Mexican trucks on Jan. 1, 2002, as Bush has pledged, but not to the detriment of safety.

The DOT secretary was in Texas Wednesday for the inaugural ceremony for a U.S.-Mexican meeting on border issues. "We won't sacrifice safety for the implementation of (the North American Free Trade Agreement)," Mineta said at the ceremony.