Border Lines

A roundup of North American news:

The how and why of trilateral truck access within North America will be the subject of the NAFTA Land Transportation Conference, to be held Oct. 21–24 in San Antonio, Texas. The conference is cosponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Free Trade Alliance San Antonio. The conference will cover requirements for motor carriers operating in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including regulations that apply to immigration, customs, tax, safety, and operating authority transactions. For more information, go to www.freetradealliance.org, call the Free Trade Alliance at (210) 229-9036, or contact Allen Wiener of DOT's Office of Strategic Transportation by e-mail at allen.wiener@ost.dot.gov.

A small percentage of the trade between the United States and Mexico moves by air, but many observers expect that percentage to grow as more high-tech manufacturing moves from Asia to Mexico's maquiladoras. That projected growth has led to the development of a new aircargo facility at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas. The Lynxs Group, an Austin, Texas-based developer, has broken ground on its "NAFTA CargoPort" project, which company executives expect will become a regional hub for shipments between the United States and Mexico. The 75,000-square-foot Phase I, which is scheduled to open early next year, will be located within a Free Trade Zone. The Lynxs Group (www.lynxs.com) is developing and operating 11 CargoPorts across the United States.

Does your company ship hazardous materials between the United States and Canada? If it does, then a one-day course on Canada's new TDG Clear Language Regulations for the transportation of dangerous goods may help you prepare for upcoming changes in Canadian rules. The program, taught by Canadian expert Norman Loiseau and Logistics columnist John V. Currie, will highlight the differences between the TDG requirements, the new International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code 30th Amendment, and U.S. 49 CFR. The Oct. 17 course is being offered by the Vessel Operators Hazardous Materials Association (VOHMA) and is open to both shippers and carriers. For more information, contact VOHMA at (518) 761-0263 or via e-mail to mail@vohma.com.

NAFTA Notes: Danzas has formed a joint venture with Air Express International's former Mexican agent, Doal S.A. de C.V. The combined company, to be known as Danzas AEI S.A. de C.V., will initially operate in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. PBB Global Logistics has opened a 100,000-square-foot distribution center in Calgary, Alberta. The 16-bay facility features Web-enabled warehouse management and distribution systems, together with radio-frequency systems that allow for real-time processing and updating of inventory data. Union Pacific Distribution Services and AMSER Logistics, a Dallas-based third-party logistics firm, will jointly market a variety of transportation handling and management services between the United States and Mexico. Schenker of Canada, a subsidiary of Stinnes AG, was the exclusive provider of customs, freight forwarding, and materials-handling service for the 8th International Amateur Athletic Federation World Championships, held last month in Edmonton, Alberta. Schenker handled arrangements for all sporting events, cultural celebrations, and broadcasting operations for the nine-day event.