NEXUS and FAST are speeding the flow of people and goods at the Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

NEXUS: Moving people

Travelers using the Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel will soon benefit from a high-tech program that enhances security and speeds traffic flow. NEXUS is a bi-national initiative that enables enrolled travelers to use cutting-edge technology to ease their passage back and forth across the border at selected ports of entry. Over 32 million travelers cross the Detroit-Windsor border annually.

Full harmony

NEXUS is a collaborative effort involving four federal agencies from both sides of the border--U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service, Citizenship & Immigration Canada, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, and the U.S. Customs Service. This effort, inaugurated in February 2000, represents the first time these agencies successfully worked together on a project of this magnitude. As a result, NEXUS is the first border program to achieve full harmonization, thereby significantly streamlining the process for pre-approval of low-risk travelers from both the United States and Canada.

As part of this effort, the Blue Water Bridge connecting Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron was selected as the site for the successful pilot program in the fall of 2000.

Positive public response

Response from the public to the NEXUS program has been extremely favorable. One industry group that recognizes the potential benefits of the program includes the many Canadian nurses who work in Detroit-area hospitals. "Since 9/11, we deal with the daily unpredictability of whether it will take 20 minutes or two hours to get across the border to work," says MaryAnne Rizza, recruitment specialist for St. John Health System. "The delays impact us not only in our personal lives--we all have families--but also impact our co-workers who cannot end their shifts until the next shifts arrive. All of us anxiously await the opening of this program."

Boon for law enforcement

Law-enforcement agencies will benefit from NEXUS as well. NEXUS allows the low-risk traveler to cross quickly and provides Immigration and Customs officers more time to focus their inspectional efforts on high-risk travelers and goods.

Potential NEXUS participants apply using a common application that is submitted to the CANPASS Processing Center. It combines a shared screening process utilizing law enforcement databases from both countries. In order to participate in the NEXUS program applicants must be admissible to both countries. A criminal conviction or record of any violation of either the United States or Canada Immigration or Customs regulations will render an applicant ineligible to the program.

FAST: Moving goods

The highly anticipated FAST program is now available at six high-volume land border crossings between the United States and Canada, including the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit-Windsor. FAST, an acronym for Free and Secure Trade, is an expedited clearance system designed to improve security without slowing the flow of legitimate trade. The program offers low-risk traders, carriers and drivers the opportunity to be pre-approved for processing at the border.

FAST also reflects the commitment of both governments to protect business and industry from the economic repercussions of 9/11. Automakers depend heavily on the smooth flow of parts across the U.S.-Canada border to meet just-in-time delivery schedules. In the days immediately following the attacks, however, bottlenecks at the border forced some plants to shut down operations.

Given the potential for future threats, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler are supportive of programs like FAST, which provide the opportunity for expeditious processing of frequent, low-risk cargo at the border.

Common purpose, shared responsibility

What makes FAST different from previous initiatives on the northern border is the degree of coordination and cooperation between the United States and Canada in regard to data collection and sharing. The challenge for both U.S. Customs and the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) is to capture and coordinate large amounts of data, and make it available using integrated technology to improve access to information by both agencies.

In exchange, business and industry must demonstrate their commitment to the program by agreeing to install compatible technology, and by using FAST to submit pertinent information to Customs well in advance of shipment.

The clearance process

The most novel aspect of the FAST program is that importers, carriers and drivers enrolled in the program will be able to provide Customs with the information it needs, electronically, before a shipment arrives at the border.

When a truck loaded with goods arrives at the border, Customs transponders will read an encoded number from a bar-coded window sticker and instantly transfer information identifying the carrier and its shipment to a Customs inspector's computer.

After the transponder picks up the information, the driver will present a special card encoded with information that verifies for the inspector who the driver is, where he or she has been and where he or she is going. Occasionally, however a driver may be asked to verify the cargo or be referred for secondary examination.

FAST benefits

With the improved process for clearance, Customs inspectors will have additional time to make intuitive and visual assessments of both the driver and vehicle. The FAST program will also provide Customs with access to more accurate information.

Another advantage of FAST is the ability of the program to ensure that every computer involved in the process is compatible and speaking the same language--whether it belongs to U.S. Customs, CCRA, a company or a shipper.

For business, FAST reassures companies that goods can move smoothly through the supply chain, and that just-in-time delivery schedules can be met. Additional benefits for businesses are increased efficiencies in tracking, auditing and self-assessing duties and taxes that translate into profits.

Drivers are pleased with the new FAST program since they don't have to fill out a manifest for every shipment. Importers and carriers appreciate the added comfort of knowing that drivers whose applications have not been approved won't hold up their shipments.

U.S. Customs and the CCRA have acted quickly to implement the FAST program. In October 2002, U.S. and Canada Customs began to register carriers, and in December, FAST became operational at Detroit/Windsor, Port Huron/Sarnia and four other Northern Border crossing points.

The Detroit Regional Chamber established NBEST (Northern Border for Economic Security and Trade) in the days immediately following September 11 to recognize the importance for business and our region to address both national and economic security. To this end, the Chamber supports both NEXUS and FAST to help expedite the flow of frequent, low-risk passenger traffic and trade. For more information about NBEST, call [phone] or e-mail: [e-mail].

Information on FAST

Into Canada:

(866) 340-FAST

[e-mail]

Into United States:

www.customs.gov(click on C-TPAT)

RELATED ARTICLE: Facts on NEXUS

The NEXUS program is open to U.S. and Canadian citizens, as well as permanent residents of both countries, and visa holders who can demonstrate a need to use the NEXUS lane. The non-refundable fee, collected once every five years, is $50 U.S. or $80 Canadian.

NEXUS is scheduled to begin operation at the Ambassador Bridge in January 2003 and at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel in March 2003. Travelers wishing to participate in the NEXUS program can apply immediately through the NEXUS Website at www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca or by calling toll free 1-866-NEXUS-26.