Get better at the border: Celadon boss to U.S. government

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. government needs to expedite activities to improve technology and infrastructure for North American carriers, a top trucking exec told the American government.

Speaking on behalf of the American Trucking Associations before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, Steve Russell, chairman and CEO of truckload carrier Celadon Group, Inc., urged Congress to speed up programs that would improve the technology and infrastructure needed to augment security at U.S. ports of entry but also improve trade facilitation.

“Any successful effort for preventing the entry of terrorists through our air, sea or land borders will have to rely on the cooperation of foreign governments, in essence ‘pushing our borders out,'” Russell testified. “This means working with Canadian and Mexican government agencies and officials in developing programs to share facilities and information systems in order to capture data prior to cargo and people arriving at our points of entry.”

Russell, whose company has a Kitchener, Ont.-based Canadian division, urged Congress to continue supporting cross-border programs like C-TPAT and FAST; encouraged DHS to take a lead role among federal agencies in managing point-of-entry systems and processes; and encouraged the committee to work with other congressional committees to analyze funding for improving border facilities and infrastructure.