Ryder last week hosted a North American Border Security Conference to share security and customs compliance best practices among customers, business partners and government security agencies. The conference, which took place Thursday, Nov. 18, at Ryder’s operations management center in Novi, Mich., featured presentations by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its component agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Canada Border Services Agency; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and state homeland security advisers from Idaho, Michigan and Wisconsin.
“The North American Free Trade Agreement among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico created the world’s largest free trade area, yet companies that move freight across these borders must remain aware of the significant security and customs compliance issues that continue to exist,” says John Williford, Ryder’s president of global supply chain solutions. “This event reinforces Ryder’s commitment to proactively bring higher levels of safety and security to its operations and those of the customers we serve. By strengthening cross-border security processes, we help our customers gain a competitive advantage that allows them to prevent loss and drive efficiencies in their supply chain operations.”
At the event, U.S. Department of Homeland Security representatives discussed emerging threats and security trends impacting businesses that transport goods across North America. Participants also received an update on the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), a joint government-business initiative supported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce led a discussion on how to enhance security and trade facilitation simultaneously to ensure maximum impact on security and minimal impact on businesses.
The Canada Border Services Agency provided an update on Canada Partners in Protection, a government program that enlists the cooperation of private industry to enhance border and trade chain security, combat organized crime and terrorism, and help detect and prevent contraband smuggling. The agency also presented an update on eManifest, a Government of Canada initiative designed to get the right information at the right time to enhance the ability of the CBSA to identify potential threats to Canada while facilitating the movement of low-risk shipments across the border.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police provided an update on threats to critical infrastructure and organized crime trends in Canada. State homeland security advisors from Idaho, Michigan and Wisconsin discussed state-related security issues pertaining to logistics and the flow of cross-border freight.
Earlier this year, Ryder hosted a U.S.-Mexico Border Security Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas, to share best practices in cross-border transportation security.
