National FAST placard to be deployed for northern border

OTTAWA, (Oct. 6, 2004) — There’s a good chance that Washington will issue a single, national Free and Secure Trade (FAST) placard that will be recognized at all U.S. ports of entry when implemented.

FAST is a bilateral border clearance program administered by customs and immigration departments in Canada and the United States. Approved freight carriers, drivers, and shippers that agree to comply with its stringent security requirements are supposed to receive expedited clearance for commercial shipments crossing the border both north and south, including use of a dedicated traffic lane.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance has lobbied both Canadian and U.S. officials for a national placard since the program’s inception to create consistency among border crossings. This concept has also supported by the Bridge and Tunnel Operators Association, the association representing the eleven major crossing between Ontario and the United States.

The CTA says it appears that some time this year a single nationally recognized FAST placard will be issued to Canadian carriers.

The trucking association has also been asked by Canadian and U.S. officials to remind the carriers that, to utilize the FAST lane at Port Huron, you must have all three components to the equation: C-TPAT approved trucking company; FAST approved driver and C-TPAT approved freight. Carriers have also been asked to remind their drivers that if they are not approved for FAST going both north and south bound; they may only utilize the FAST program in the direction for which the carrier has been approved.