Roadway Express has joined a U.S. Customs Service program to speed truck crossings at the Canadian and Mexican borders.

Roadway, based in Akron, Ohio, is the first LTL carrier to join the Customs Automated Forms Entry System (CAFES) In-Bond program.
Roadway's participation began last month when the first official Roadway CAFES shipment was picked up in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, bound for Laredo, Texas.
According to Roadway, the use of CAFES processing reduces wait time that could be as much as 60 minutes. During a 60-day U.S. Customs Service pilot, waiting periods and port congestion are expected to be reduced and service improved for trucks crossing into the U.S.
According to Paul Schwartz, director of the In-Bond program at U.S. Customs, informal nationwide surveys indicate that the average downtime for one referred in-bond truck transaction is 17 minutes. During peak business hours, combined broker and Customs wait times can change this to over 60 minutes. This is all eliminated, or significantly reduced, with CAFES.
"Much of the truck congestion at the busiest land border crossings can be attributed to in-bond shipment processing," said Bob Carr, vice president of international for Roadway Express. "The CAFES program streamlines this process for carriers and provides internal benefits to the Customs Service as well."