Dedicated FAST lane opens at Champlain checkpoint

Dedicated FAST lane opens at Champlain checkpoint    U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency have opened the second dedicated lane at a northern border crossing for shippers and truckers participating in the Free and Secure Trade Lanes program for expedited clearance. The new FAST dedicated lane is at the Champlain, New York/Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec border crossing.
   There are more than a dozen ports of entry on the U.S./Canadian border equipped for FAST, a program designed to verify trade and security compliance away from the border by giving a green light at the border to pre-approved shippers and trucking companies who electronically file shipping documents and are identified through the use of an in-vehicle transponder so Customs can automatically match the load, conveyance and driver.
   The first lane dedicated to give low-risk FAST participants the benefit of faster clearance was set up earlier this year at the Port of Buffalo. At other FAST crossing points, trucks must wait in line with other commercial traffic.
   To participate in FAST companies must demonstrate a history of compliance and solid recordkeeping and participate in security programs like the U.S. Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and the Canadian Customs Self- Assessment program.