CBP Officials Discuss Expanding C-TPAT to Mexico Long-Haul Carriers/3PLs at May 15, 2007 COAC Meeting, Etc.
During the May 15, 2007 meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC), CBP officials discussed, among other things, the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program.
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The following are highlights of most of the COAC discussion related to C-TPAT. See future issues of ITT for BP summaries on COAC discussions of C-TPAT 3rd Party Validation pilot for China and other issues discussed at the May 15, 2007 COAC meeting.
CBP Considers Expanding C-TPAT to Mexican Long-Haul Highway Carriers and 3PLs
CBP officials noted that the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act requires CBP to expand participation in C-TPAT to additional enrollment sectors.
CBP has been discussing internally which sectors it should expand to and how the minimum security criteria should be developed and what kinds of benefits can be offered to those sectors.
Initially, CBP has been considering expanding C-TPAT to:
Mexican long haul highway carriers (i.e., those operating in the interior of Mexico)
- Currently, only those Mexican carriers that cross the border are eligible to participate in C-TPAT.
Third party logistics providers (3PLs)
- Regarding 3PLs, CBP officials noted that while they are in favor of extending C-TPAT to 3PLs, there are concerns about the development and applicability of minimum security criteria given the large number of contractors and subcontractors used in the 3PL industry.
University of Virginia Expects to Issue Final C-TPAT Report in Summer 2007
CBP officials also provided COAC with an update of the University of Virginia's (UVA's) work on developing a data collection tool for performance measures and return on investment study for C-TPAT.
According to CBP officials, UVA's C-TPAT survey went out to members in January 2007 and the survey was closed on April 27, 2007. CBP notes that over 1,800 companies responded to the survey. UVA expects to publish its final report in summer 2007.
7,031 Certified C-TPAT Members, All New Applications Reviewed within 90 Days
CBP officials stated that there are 7,031 certified C-TPAT members and that CBP is reviewing all new applications within 90 days, as required by the SAFE Port Act.
CBP on Track to Complete 3,000 Validations in 2007
According to CBP officials, CBP has completed over 4,245 validations of C-TPAT members and is on track to complete 3,000 validations in 2007. CBP officials added that CBP is meeting the SAFE Port Act mandate that all certified members be validated within one year.
Of the 3,000 validations to be completed in 2007, CBP officials state that 2,200 will be initial validations and 800 will be re-validations of those members that were first validated in 2003 and 2004, as well as Mexican highway carriers.
CBP to Revalidate Mexican Carriers Annually, Other C-TPAT Members Every 3 Years
CBP notes that it has adopted the standard of re-validating companies every three years, except for the Mexican highway carrier segment, which will be re-validated annually (as this sector is the greatest concern for CBP).
(The SAFE Port Act requires CBP to re-validate C-TPAT members every four years, while the fiscal year 2007 DHS Appropriations Act requires CBP to re-validate every 3 years.)