OTTAWA, ON – The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) is extending the turnaround option for drivers that arrive at the border without their advance commercial information (ACI) form until the end of the year.

Recurring delays and outages at the border caused CBSA to make the exception on a 90-day basis back in May. Outages have continued, resulting in the policy being extended until Dec. 31, 2017.

Drivers without their ACI can turn around and head back to the United States to wait for the proper paperwork without fear of fines under the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS), before crossing again.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance says it proposed several solutions which would help carriers avoid major monetary penalties, including the turnaround for failure to submit ACI data. The CBSA agreed to implement the option if compliance rates didn’t decline.

The CBSA reports that ACI data has been stable over the last three months, evidence that carriers were complying with regulations.

In a recent email, the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) said they were concerned about the effect the outages were having on the supply chain in general.

In a letter to CIFFA dated July 12, federal Minister of public safety and emergency preparedness Ralph Goodale said it was his understanding that the outages caused since January 2017 were because of technical issues with three systems, and that those problems had been addressed, causing a decrease in system outages.

CTA president Stephen Laskowski says the group appreciates the extension for the turnaround option.

The lobbying organization is part of a working group currently looking at addressing the AMPS penalty levels.

The turnaround applies to highway land crossings only, and does not affect any other points of entry.