Drivers Should Have Next-Gen FAST Cards In-Hand

(Today’s Trucking)

Older, first generation FAST cards will no longer be accepted by Canada Border Services Agency or US Customs and Border Protection as of Dec. 1, 2009.

The Ontario Trucking Association reports that all commercial drivers should have received their Generation 2 FAST cards. Drivers who have not, should contact the FAST enrollment centre where they originally applied or click here.

The Generation 2 card is equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which enables the transmission of identification data from a distance.

The two border agencies have reportedly not yet decided how to handle old FAST cards — whether drivers can throw them out or hand them in — so drivers are advise to hold on to them just in case.