New Year critical says CTA chief

OTTAWA, (Nov. 7, 2003) — Canadian Trucking Alliance CEO David Bradley warned the trade community earlier this week that complacency is the transport industry’s biggest obstacle to improved trade between Canada and the U.S.

Speaking to stakeholders at the Trade Corridors Conference this week, Bradley said that, while progress has been made over the past year, he is concerned that the “priority once attached to making sure our goods cross the border quickly is no longer on the public’s radar screen, and with the momentum lost, the wheels of progress on a smart border may be grinding in the mud.”

Bradley added that 2004 will be a critical year for the transport and trade sectors as many new U.S. regulatory initiatives start taking effect, such as U.S. Customs and Food and Drug Administration pre-notification rules, and hazmat endorsement of driver’s licences. “I would like to think that the recent delays in implementing final rules on (such) programs are a reflection of sober second thought, but I am not so optimistic,” he said. “More likely it is a reflection of the morass and confusion that reigns within the (Department of Homeland Security). The costs have got to be astronomical, with the rewards somewhat questionable.”