Canada, US sign mutual recognition arrangement covering PIP, C-TPAT

Avatar photo

OTTAWA, Ont. — The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is endorsing an announcement from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that the two parties have signed a mutual recognition arrangement covering the departments’ respective supply chain security programs: Partners in Protection (PIP) and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT).

The June 28 signing follows months of discussion between CBSA and business groups, including CTA, on ways to bring PIP into line with the more stringent C-TPAT program in the US.

Carriers that were members of the PIP program before June 30 will have six months to re-apply to the re-vamped program. The fleets will be required to complete a security profile, which will be reviewed by CBSA, according to a release from the CTA. A follow-up site validation may be required, but CBSA has indicated that this step may not be undertaken if a C-TPAT validation has been carried out within the past two years.

Ultimately, carriers will be required to sign a memorandum of understanding with CBSA that sets out the roles and responsibilities of the respective parties.

“If a carrier is already a C-TPAT member, this should be a relatively straightforward exercise, and they will continue to receive the benefits these programs provide, such as access to FAST lanes at busy international crossings,” says CTA CEO David Bradley. “I’m also pleased to see that CBSA listened to CTA and others in the business community, and significantly revised an initial suspend/cancel policy that would have literally driven carriers out of the program. I am confident that the trucking industry, the single largest industry sector in PIP, will be able to comply with these tougher new requirements.”

However, Bradley admits that he “remains disappointed that CBSA and CBP have fallen short of the goal of full mutual recognition that is, a situation where a carrier need only apply to PIP or C-TPAT, but not both. But we have at least taken an important step forward, and I’m hopeful that we will get there eventually.”

Avatar photo

Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry.


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*