Truckers Wait for U.S., Canada to Speed Border Crossings

Officials from the United States and Canada are preparing for a meeting at the end of February to resolve issues relating to the bottlenecks created by increased security along the world’s longest undefended border, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Truckers who cross the border regularly have seen little improvement in the delays that have ensued since the United States beefed up security around its borders in the months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the news agency said.

Murray Mullen, the chief executive of Mullen Transportation Inc., told Bloomberg that trucks from his fleet are still regularly bogged down by lengthy inspections and delays when attempting to cross the border into the United States.

Canada’s Finance Minister Paul Martin and U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill are planning to meet later this month in Vancouver, B.C., to discuss ways to expedite border crossing. A major topic at those discussions is likely to be a system of pre-approval for trucks, Bloomberg said.

At a Friday press conference, O’Neill said the two countries would study ways to allow exporters to seal loads and pre-file paperwork for their shipments to allow for speedier crossings, Bloomberg reported.

The two countries enjoy the largest trading relationship, accounting for 37% of Canada’s economy, Bloomberg said. More than $1 billion a day crosses between the two countries at one of 75 crossings spaced out along the 5,525-mile frontier.

Mullen told the news service that his company is hauling 20% to 30% less than last year because of the current recession and because it just takes longer to get back and forth across the border.

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