Canadian Border Crossings: From Bad to Worse?

(Land Line – David Tanner)

Truckers can face two worst-case scenarios when crossing the U.S.-Canadian border. Not only are long wait times a foregone conclusion, especially from Michigan or New York into Ontario, but there’s also a chance that insufficient paperwork on a load will lead to an even longer wait or a flat-out rejection.

Transport Canada is working to implement a streamlined system for cross-border freight similar to the ACE program in the U.S. ACE stands for Automated Commercial Environment, and it requires truckers or shippers to send a load manifest electronically to border officials ahead of a crossing.

The Canadian system is called ACI, or Advance Commercial Information.

An easy way to decipher the alphabet soup is to think of ACE and ACI as the manifest paperwork for the freight, while FAST, C-TPAT and other programs are the credentials used for the drivers.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is certainly in favor of streamlining the clearance system at border crossings, but not when the system favors large businesses and shuts out small carriers from the U.S.

The ACI program, according to OOIDA, favors larger carriers that are already paying to belong to programs such as FAST, C-TPAT and others. OOIDA believes many small-business operators could get shut out if they don’t jump through extra hoops at extra costs.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance, on the other hand, is lobbying the government for protections for the biggest carriers, shippers and customs brokers who use FAST, C-TPAT and the credentialing programs that small businesses may not use. Read more here.