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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The cross-border trucking pilot program has had so little participation that federal regulators may not be able to determine if Mexican carriers are as safe as U.S. carriers, several members of an advisory panel said here last week.

The United States and Canada said they are set to launch the second phase of a pilot program to speed the flow of freight at the border by having U.S.-bound trucks inspected on Canadian soil.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appeals court decision upholding the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s authority to operate a cross-border pilot program allowing Mexican drivers to operate throughout the United States.

Mexican trucking companies that are participating in the U.S. cross-border freight pilot program said it allows them to provide faster service to customers and to have more control over their own operations than the older alternatives, such as transferring freight to U.S. carriers near the border.

A federal appeals court has again ruled that the government’s cross-border trucking pilot program, which allows approved Mexican fleets to operate throughout the United States, can go forward.

A federal appeals court has upheld the U.S. government’s cross-border Mexico trucking plan, rejecting challenges brought by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the Teamsters union.

The number of commercial trucks that crossed into the United States from Mexico and Canada rose 3.6% last year from 2011, the Department of Transportation said Friday.

For the second time in the past several months, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have delayed implementation of a controversial plan requiring motor carriers and exporters to report even small amounts of cargo residue when returning from deliveries in Canada and Mexico.