Keep it moving (page 2)

-- Logistics Management, 6/1/2005

Page 2 of 3
Even clerical errors are being treated differently, notes Beth Billingsley, Canada/Mexico team leader for motor carrier Averitt Express in Cookeville, Tenn. "In the past, if there was a discrepancy we might have been able to fix it after the fact," she says. "Now, if there's an error or your customer forgot to give you a piece of paper, you're going back into the line and wait until you have it right."

Kelli Littrell, logistics manager for ScriptPro in Mission, Kan., agrees that authorities are paying more attention to detail now. ScriptPro makes equipment used by pharmacies to fill prescription drug orders. The company ships to Canada via a private fleet of customized trailers pulled by pickup-style trucks. Drivers take the equipment across the border, then unload, install, and test the machines at the customer's store. Recently, Littrell says, a Canadian agent detained a driver for the over-the-counter medicines used to test the equipment during installation. She's also had agents insist on shifting trucks between commercial and passenger lanes. "When you cross the border you may have one agent in Canada say, 'You're not a commercial vehicle, you're a passenger vehicle.' The next time they'll say you're a commercial vehicle. It has not been consistent," she says.

Although U.S. and Canadian customs agencies have added employees in the last year, staffing continues to be an issue. Armstrong cites the Detroit-Windsor crossing, the busiest on the northern border. "Canada has some 400-odd customs and immigration officers across three shifts at the Ambassador Bridge," he says. "There were only 71 on the American side."

It's not all bad news up north, however. Until April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had no weekend staffing at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, N.Y. Thanks to efforts by the Canadian Trucking Alliance, the American Trucking Associations, and other organizations, the FDA now is open in Buffalo on Sundays to facilitate Monday morning deliveries. The groups are continuing to press the FDA to fully align its operating hours with those of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Both groups also were successful in getting CBP to postpone to May 1 the requirement that drivers participating in the "BRASS" line-release program also be certified under FAST. Reportedly, 70,000 drivers had applied for FAST membership but CBP couldn't process applications in time for the original January deadline. And FAST drivers do move through Customs faster than those who don't, reports Yvette Cheesebrew, district manager for freight forwarder Mach 1 in El Paso, Texas. "With FAST at the Canadian border, it takes no more than 30 minutes," she says. "Without FAST, the wait is two to three hours or more. ... What could be a delivery at 2:00 p.m. becomes a delivery at 5:00 or later."

Making it better in Mexico

On the southern border, changes haven't been as dramatic as in Canada. For one thing, security already was tight because of concerns about drug smuggling and illegal immigration. For another, Mexican law and border-crossing procedures required customs brokers to be responsible for the accuracy of shipment information, so they already were taking precautions, says Ernie Valdez, vice president, international for Averitt Express.

Meanwhile, new infrastructure, such as expanded customs facilities at some crossings, the deployment of non-invasive cargo inspection equipment, and the new commercial-onlyWorld Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas, have helped reduce delays.

Less tangible factors also are improving cross-border business, suggests Armando Beltran, general manager, Mexico for Schneider National. "Mexican and U.S. customs authorities are working much closer today than before," he says. "I also believe that the new generation of Mexican management has been influenced by NAFTA and the American way of doing business. Most Mexican companies, especially the larger shippers and transportation providers, are much more professional than before."

Customs authorities on both sides of the border, moreover, are "better organized, have better processes in place, and are more efficient," adds Bernardo Rodarte, international sales and logistics manager, Mexico, for air conditioner manufacturer Carrier Corp. He also credits CBP's increased willingness to listen and communicate with shippers with keeping his company's shipments moving.

More communication with customs authorities has indeed helped, but it may take many voices working together to be heard, says Raul Campos, customs supervisor at Trico Products in Brownsville, Texas. "We brought our concerns to Customs in group discussions through the local brokers' association and other trade organizations," he says. "But we had to bring some issues to them three or four times. It can take a while to get them to understand." Continued...

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