OTTAWA — The United States Senate has adopted an immigration bill amendment that could delay until June 1, 2009 the implementation of mandatory passport identification to enter the U.S.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative — which required travelers, including US citizens, to have a valid passports or yet-to-be determined substitute travel document in hand to cross into the U.S. – is supposed to take effect Jan. 1, 2008.

While yesterday’s action is a step in the right direction, it does not necessarily mean the later deadline will be implemented, pointed out Canadian Trucking Alliance CEO David Bradley. To become law, the bill would have to be adopted by both the US House of Representatives and Senate, and signed into law by the President.

“What it does do is provide further recognition that a change of the magnitude contemplated in WHTI should only proceed after a thorough analysis of the impact the proposed measures will have, not just on US national security, but also on trade and commerce,” Bradley said in a statement.

The law underlying the requirement notes that measures adopted shall “seek to expedite the travel of frequent travelers.” This, according to CTA, can only be accomplished if there is a thorough examination of alternatives, field tests to determine the impact of alternative documents on border crossing times, and an extensive public education campaign to prepare individuals for the impending change. CTA also believes that WHTI goals can be accomplished without the introduction of new forms of identification for commercial truck drivers and has advocated that the FAST card, for example, be used as a passport alternative. This is currently under consideration, says CTA.

“This is a positive step,” said Bradley, “but there are other alternatives out there as well, including documents every commercial truck driver already possesses — namely, a driver’s licence and birth certificate.”

Though the US federal government has so far shown reluctance to pursue this course, various states and provinces have begun to consider how existing documentation could meet US requirements under WHTI. “Such alternatives should not be discarded in response to an arbitrary deadline that will not allow for adequate study,” said Bradley.
If the government approves the delay, it would become the latest in a long line if US measures aimed at tightening border security that have had to be postponed.

As TodaysTrucking.com reported this past weekend, the US Customs and Border Protection Agency announced a month delay in the Phase Four enforcement of the Trade Act, which refused US entry to non-ACE carriers arriving at ACE-ready before electronically sending PAPs cargo data to Customs.

Prior to Phase Four, truckers that arrive at the border before CBP has received the PAPS cargo information are being referred to secondary, with no penalty, if the officer deems that the information was sent to a broker beforehand. Phase Four, which was supposed to take effect this past Monday May 15, will now kick-in June 15, 2006.

CTA says is also still awaiting official word on how Canadian hazardous materials drivers will be expected to comply with new credentialing measures slated to come into force in early August.