The Canadian Trucking Alliance is concerned about a proposal from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that would require a passport or similar document from anyone attempting to enter the United States .

The plan is part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which aims to give U.S. Customs better ability to determine the identity and citizenship of people coming into the country.

In comments filed Oct. 31, the CTA said it is concerned that the passport requirement could create additional delays at the border for the more than 70,000 Canadian truckers who cross into the United States each year.

David Bradley, CTA’s CEO, said in a news release that CTA has no way of knowing how many Canadian truckers have passports and that only 37 percent of Canadians overall have passports.

“So the risk that this could add to border delays is real,” he said. “Not to mention the cost.”

Bradley said he is also concerned that neither government would have the resources in place to deal with tens of thousands of people seeking passports.

Instead, the CTA posed alternatives to requiring a passport, specifically the Free And Secure Trade cards issued by both governments for border crossings.

For those who don’t have a FAST card, the group suggested a security-enhanced commercial driver’s license in combination with a birth certificate. 

Canada has long been lobbying for the United States to accept FAST cards as a substitute for other background checks, such as hazmat and the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program from the Transportation Security Administration.

– By Terry Scruton, senior writer
terry_scruton@landlinemag.com