U.S. Customs and Border Protection is soliciting participants in a pilot program for the Secure Transit Corridors program, which will evaluate an experimental reusable high-security lock in a real world environment. The experimental locks for this pilot program, which is tentatively scheduled to begin Oct. 1 and last 12 months, will be used in place of the high-security seals that are normally affixed to containers bound for the U.S.
According to CBP, only Tier III members of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism that make entry through the ports of Detroit or Nogales will be eligible to participate in the pilot. For members who use Detroit, only supply chains utilizing highway carriers will be considered. For members who use Nogales, only supply chains utilizing highway carriers and/or rail carriers will be considered.
CBP states that the pilot will require the installation of system readers at the facility grounds where the containers are loaded and high-security seals are affixed to the containers. System readers will also need to be installed at the C-TPAT member’s U.S. distribution centers or warehouse facilities. The system readers create a geo-free-zone allowing the experimental locks to be opened and closed without sending an alarm message to the importer.
Those interested in being considered for selection to participate in the pilot should email the following information to CBP industry.partnership@dhs.gov by Aug. 15: company name, name of loading company/facility, address where container is loaded, mode of transportation, port of entry, number of shipments entering through Detroit and/or Nogales ports for a period of one year, commodity and whether shipments require hazmat documentation.
