CBSA - Blueprint 2020 Report - December 2018
Secure Corridor Concept - Trusted Trader Pilot

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) recently implemented the Secure Corridor Concept (SCC) – Trusted Trader Pilot (TTP) at the Ambassador Bridge Port of Entry (POE) in Windsor, Ontario, to test the viability of a suite of technologies to process commercial traffic remotely. The aim is to expedite the passage of low-risk, trusted commercial shipments.

Collaboration across levels, functions and sectors

The Agency is collaborating with volunteer trucking companies and the Canadian Transit Company. Those involved with the pilot are working together across varying levels, functions, and sectors to explore the use of a range of technologies which are new to the commercial stream for Free and Secure Trade (FAST) - eligible Trusted Traders.

Technological advances for the Border of the Future

The pilot is testing a major transformation of the CBSA’s current operating model as it eliminates manual processes, minimizes human interaction, and introduces remote processing to speed up border crossings.

Using an agile approach to development, the pilot is testing the integrated use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers, still-image cameras, closed circuit television (CCTV), voice over internet protocol (VoIP) intercoms, lane passage sensors, traffic lights and a remote command centre. In order to deliver the concept, teams have designed, developed and deployed new software for commercial applications.

Ensuring our country’s prosperity

The CBSA is stepping-up its efforts to simplify border processes to manage increasing volumes of traffic while maintaining effective risk management to alleviate border wait times.

Early indications show that the technology is working as anticipated. Processing times are shorter. The pilot has also allowed the CBSA an opportunity to change work methods and use enhanced collaboration to get this initiative into production quickly.

The pilot is expected to demonstrate a significant reduction in processing times, as well as increased throughput, leading up to expedited passages. These results benefit Canadian businesses, particularly those relying on “just-in-time” inventories by reducing time spent at the border, and improve outcomes for Canada’s economic prosperity.

Agile mode of operation

An agile and “design thinking” approach to prototype development has enabled the CBSA to quickly deploy a more straightforward system with the necessary features to do the job and collect useful feedback from stakeholders. The lessons learned and advances achieved with this pilot are expected to leave the Agency well-positioned for the future. Ongoing developments to the concept will be introduced incrementally, thereby easing the transition to a more technology-enabled processing model.

Date modified:

2018-12-04