Border%20Crossing%20Best%20Practices%20Guidebook

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Border Crossing Best Practices Guidebook

• Overview Briefing for Northern Border Survey
• Transportation Border Working Group
• Vancouver, BC
• December 4, 2002
• Stephanie Roth
• Federal Highway Administration

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Task Objective

• Survey the border agency community to compile a
  guide of border crossing best practices that
  can be shared across the border.

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Premise

• Many solutions to border crossing concerns come
  from partners working together successfully to
  solve problems within the resources, authority,
  and relationships available to them.
• We can learn from the successes of federal,
  state, and local agencies and private sector
  partners on both sides of the border.

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Scope of Best Practices

• Organizational/institutional relationships
  (public and private sector)
• Processes and procedures used to move people,
  vehicles, and goods across the border
• Technologies employed to improve border trade
  processes
• Minor infrastructure improvements that facilitate
  process improvements

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Benefits

• Does not require legislative or regulatory action
• Requires no or little capital investment beyond
  that generally available to agencies
• Benefits realized in relatively short time
  (compared to major infrastructure investments)
• Within the authority and jurisdiction of
  implementing agencies

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Best Practices Categories

• Policy and Procedures
• Interagency Coordination
• Information Management
• Bi-national Cooperation
• Congestion and Traffic Management
• Process Improvements
• Compliance Improvement
• Traveler and Traffic Information

• ITS and Innovative Technology
• Truck/Bus Safety Improvement
• Evaluation and Feedback
• Public Relations, Education, and Outreach
  (General Public, Drivers, Shippers, Brokers,
  Commuters, etc.)
• Other

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Best Practices Assessment

• Self-assessment by those reporting the best
  practices (no additional data collection and
  evaluation)
• Recommend where the best practices are likely to
  work best (size facilities, technologies
  available, existing institutional arrangements,
  specific local issues, etc.)
• Only practices nominated or endorsed by border
  agencies and private sector partners will be
  included border agencies have the final word on
  whether or not a best practice is included and
  identified with them.

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Task Approach for Southern Border

• Met with headquarters and field agencies and
  interagency groups to explain project and solicit
  advice and support
• Customs, FHWA, FMCSA, INS, USDA, GSA
• BSPC, JWC, EBTC, others
• Provided a simple form for use by state, federal,
  and private sector field organizations to
  describe candidates for the best practices
  guidebooks.
• Solicited and collected best practices in border
  trade facilitation, including those observed
  during previous border studies.

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Task Approach (contd)

• Met with selected field staff at key border
  crossings on the border to validate best
  practices (for Northern border Buffalo, NY
  Detroit and Port Huron, MI Blaine, WA
  locations).
• Documented border crossing best practices
• Best practice descriptions
• Applicability
• Points of contact
• Primary benefits obtained
• Estimated time and cost of implementation.
• Prepared a topical index and appropriate
  cross-references to assist users in locating
  applicable best practices.

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Task Approach (contd)

• Organized and synthesized best practices into
  notebook form for review by the NAST and other
  agencies as specified by the NAST (e.g, BSPC,
  EBTC, JWC, TBWG)
• Southern Border Reference Book approved by BSPC
  in Nov 2001
• Distributed CDROM versions of Southern Border
  reference books in Summer of 2002.
• Planning on consolidating Northern Best Practices
  (currently have only 20 submissions) into one
  book for the entire border.Awaiting one final
  appeal to obtain additional best practices.

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Sample Best Practice Form
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For Additional Information

• Stephanie Roth
• Office of Interstate and Border Planning
• Federal Highway Administration
• 202/366-9238
• Stephanie.Roth_at_fhwa.dot.gov