ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Sept. 24, 2004) — The U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection has changed its stance on allowing some commercial trucks on the Toronto-Rochester ferry.

The Customs agency says it will process commercial trucks only certified through the bilateral border clearance Free and Secure Trade (FAST) system and C-TPAT, reports the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Trucks not approved under the programs would be directed to an examination site at the Greater Rochester International Airport and be subject to additional fees.

But those conditions still don’t sit well with the ferry’s operator Canadian American Transportation Systems, which says CBP’s amendment won’t solve the company’s problems because very few trucks or drivers are certified under the programs.

The Rochester-Toronto “Fast Ferry” has been docked indefinitely since the beginning of the month. CATS blamed start-up delays, as well as unexpected custom costs, high fuel costs — and the failure to get approval from U.S. officials to transport commercial trucks — for its financial problems. The company said that they were depending on truck cargo to boost revenues during the upcoming off-season.

However, the ferry — which takes about two hours and 15 minutes (not including load and unloading times) to cross Lake Ontario from downtown Toronto to the mouth of the Genesee River in Rochester — can only accommodate about 10 trucks.

CTAS told Today’s trucking earlier this year part of its mission was to expand the commercial truck business, saying that a truck-only ferry or dedicated truck sailing as night might be possibilities for the future.

— with files from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle