SURREY, B.C. – The BC Trucking Association continues to push US Customs and Border Protection to reconsider its plan to open the FAST lane at the Pacific Border Crossing to all trucks.

CBP carried out such a pilot project for two weeks in March and April in order to determine average wait times without the dedicated lane.

BCTA says the findings appear to support the case for the change given the overall congestion at the crossing), but the association insists that the pilot project data is too restricted to use as the basis for a permanent FAST lane reconfiguration.

BCTA says the plan negates all the benefits of FAST and penalizes carriers and shippers that have already invested substantial resources and incur considerable cost to participate.

The trucking group recommends that CBP consider a more balanced approach instead of opening the FAST lane permanently.

Based on the results of a recent member survey, BCTA identified some other options, including:

Maintain a dedicated FAST approach lane and primary inspection booth, but allow other trucks that meet one or two of the current criteria to use the dedicated lane and booth (i.e., FAST/C-TPAT Carrier AND FAST Driver)

Or maintain the FAST lane, but open the primary inspection booth to all commercial trucks, while the criteria to use the FAST approach lane would remain unchanged.

"Our concern is not only to safeguard the investment of FAST-approved carriers, but also to ensure that CBP is basing any decision that it makes on accurate data and more in-depth analysis," says BCTA, adding that the current data only provides half the picture.

For example, including traffic data during the peak season would be a better indicator.

As well, the pilot excluded four days of observations because one or more of the primary inspection booths was closed at times, BCTA notes.