Border Lines

A roundup of North American news:

The Ambassador Bridge, which links Detroit, Mich., and Windsor, Ont., was the site last month of a meeting between U.S. President George Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. The two leaders signed a formal agreement to introduce the Free and Secure Trade Program (FAST), one of the initiatives outlined in the 30-point Smart Border Accord that the two countries signed late last year. FAST, an expedited truck processing system that will include dedicated lanes for vehicles that have been identified prior to arrival as carrying low-risk shipments, will be open to participants in U.S. Customs' Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Canada's Partners in Protection (PIP) programs. Trucks that qualify for this privilege will carry wireless radio-frequency transponders that send information electronically to U.S. and Canadian customs agents about the carrier and driver as well as the cargo's contents, origin, and destination. For more about FAST, visit www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/09.

The Council of Logistics Management's Zona Noreste roundtable in Monterrey, Mexico, is working hard to address the continuing shortage of qualified logistics professionals in Mexico. The roundtable recently established a Junior CLM organization at the Monterrey Institute of Technology. Students participate in internships and work on logistics projects in conjunction with their studies. The organization, which may become a model for similar student groups around the world, invited CLM President Joel Sutherland to speak at its inaugural meeting. Sutherland reports that not only students but also professors, deans, practitioners and the students' parents attended in a show of commitment to the program.

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has denied a petition by Ferroequus Railway Co. Ltd. to carry grain over Canadian National tracks from Alberta to British Columbia. Ferroequus had asked the agency to impose running rights on CN's lines on its behalf. CTA's decision said that granting statutorily imposed running rights was an "exceptional remedy" that would require evidence of market abuse or service failure, and that Ferroequus had failed to prove that such abuse or failure existed on the route in question. CN hailed the decision as upholding the principles of deregulation and praised the agency for avoiding harmful regulatory intervention.

NAFTA Notes: GM de Mexico has selected Penske Logistics as its lead logistics provider for all of GM's business in Mexico, including materials follow-up services at GM plants in Ramos Arizpe, Silao and Toluca. Old Dominion Freight Line has added service to Mexico to the "Rate Estimate" section of its Web site (www.odfl.com). Prologis, a provider of distribution facilities and services, has leased 133,484 square feet of space for an assembly operation for Black and Decker in Reynosa, Mexico. Royal Alliance Inc., a manufacturer of polymer-based home goods, has chosen Danzas AEI Intercontinental as its exclusive provider of customs brokerage services for Canadian-made goods entering the United States. Danzas also has appointed maritime industry veteran Hugh McMaster as director of ocean and projects, Canada and Tony Cowen as district manager, Vancouver.