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Joint US-Mexican border inspections to accelerate cargo flow at Otay Mesa
A NEW programme expected to launch this month at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry will drastically cut wait times for trucks carrying cargo from Tijuana to San Diego as US and Mexican inspectors will conduct joint border inspections.
The initiative is a first for Otay Mesa, the second busiest commercial port of entry on the US-Mexico border. It will allow users enrolled in the secure-cargo shipping programme, Free and Secure Trade that is as known as FAST, to forego outbound inspections in Mexico, and instead drive straight into the US port to be inspected simultaneously by inspectors from both countries.
"You're cutting inspection times in half, not to mention increasing the efficiency in the primary lanes and the wait times in between," said director Pete Flores of CBP's San Diego Field Office, reported the San Deigo Union Tribune.
Overall some 3,000 to 3,500 trucks cross northbound each day at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, according to CBP. About a third are enrolled in the FAST programme, and would benefit from the joint northbound inspections, Mr Flores said.
The joint inspections started last August in Calexico, where US and Mexican officers "are doing 200 trucks a day, and at times over 300 trucks in a day", Mr Flores said. "The relationship with Mexico is the strongest it's ever been. It continues to get stronger for us."
The close collaboration between US and Mexican officials aimed at facilitating the flow of trade between both countries at the border comes in contrast to the rhetoric and uncertainty surrounding the current re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), involving the United States, Mexico and Canada.
"Whether NAFTA is signed or not, these are operational efficiencies we need to have," said executive director Gustavo de la Fuente of the Smart Border Coalition, a binational group that promotes more efficient border crossings between Tijuana and San Diego. "This region should be at the forefront of these things."
Under the traditional system, goods sent from Mexico to the United States must undergo two inspections, first as they leave Mexico and then again as they enter the United States. The joint inspections offer the promise of savings both in terms of time and money.
The programme has been welcomed on the Arizona border where it was first launched last year at the Mariposa cargo facility in Nogales, and has since been expanded to Douglas and San Luis. In San Luis, the joint inspections now apply to all categories of cargo and includes joint inspection of southbound shipments as well.
The programme has drastically reduced wait times for the commercial truck trade in Nogales by up to 85 per cent, from three hours to 30 minutes.
The initiative is a first for Otay Mesa, the second busiest commercial port of entry on the US-Mexico border. It will allow users enrolled in the secure-cargo shipping programme, Free and Secure Trade that is as known as FAST, to forego outbound inspections in Mexico, and instead drive straight into the US port to be inspected simultaneously by inspectors from both countries.
"You're cutting inspection times in half, not to mention increasing the efficiency in the primary lanes and the wait times in between," said director Pete Flores of CBP's San Diego Field Office, reported the San Deigo Union Tribune.
Overall some 3,000 to 3,500 trucks cross northbound each day at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, according to CBP. About a third are enrolled in the FAST programme, and would benefit from the joint northbound inspections, Mr Flores said.
The joint inspections started last August in Calexico, where US and Mexican officers "are doing 200 trucks a day, and at times over 300 trucks in a day", Mr Flores said. "The relationship with Mexico is the strongest it's ever been. It continues to get stronger for us."
The close collaboration between US and Mexican officials aimed at facilitating the flow of trade between both countries at the border comes in contrast to the rhetoric and uncertainty surrounding the current re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), involving the United States, Mexico and Canada.
"Whether NAFTA is signed or not, these are operational efficiencies we need to have," said executive director Gustavo de la Fuente of the Smart Border Coalition, a binational group that promotes more efficient border crossings between Tijuana and San Diego. "This region should be at the forefront of these things."
Under the traditional system, goods sent from Mexico to the United States must undergo two inspections, first as they leave Mexico and then again as they enter the United States. The joint inspections offer the promise of savings both in terms of time and money.
The programme has been welcomed on the Arizona border where it was first launched last year at the Mariposa cargo facility in Nogales, and has since been expanded to Douglas and San Luis. In San Luis, the joint inspections now apply to all categories of cargo and includes joint inspection of southbound shipments as well.
The programme has drastically reduced wait times for the commercial truck trade in Nogales by up to 85 per cent, from three hours to 30 minutes.
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