 An assessment of the free and secure trade (FAST) program along the Canada-US borderSusan L. Bradbury Transport Policy, 2010, vol. 17, issue 6, 367-380 Abstract: Several new programs were introduced under the Smart Border Action Plan of 2001 to ensure both secure and efficient trade across the Canada-US border. This article evaluates just how well one of the programs, Free and Secure Trade (FAST), has succeeded in expediting shipments and reducing delays at the border. The results of this study indicate that the FAST program has reduced the average border wait time at four of the five busiest crossing ports. However, the benefits associated with the FAST program are unevenly distributed among the ports, determined by the ability to accommodate infrastructure improvements, and firms, with larger trucking companies and exporters reaping the benefits and small and medium-sized trucking firms and exporters burdened by costs and often unable to capitalize on the program's benefits. Recommendations for program improvement include: greater regulatory cooperation between Canada and the US to reduce costly duplication and paperwork, and providing tax incentives or subsidies to small and medium-size firms as a means to increase the participation rate in the program. Keywords: Free; and; secure; trade; North; American; free; trade; agreement; Security; Border; wait; time; Smart; border; action; plan (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:trapol:v:17:y:2010:i:6:p:367-380 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from Access Statistics for this article Transport Policy is currently edited by Y. Hayashi More articles in Transport Policy from Elsevier |
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