CBP Preparing to Pilot Test Reusable High-Security Container Lock

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.