TIA On NASCO Re-Opening Letters

On December 1, 2020, TIA signed on to a pair of letters spearheaded by he North America Strategy for Competitiveness (NASCO). The letters to the government official of each country state in the clearest possible terms to open commerce between the three North American countries. This comes at a time of economic recovery, when vaccine news is very positive and, while we enter a cold winter season that could bring more cases, we now know a lot more about the virus and how to mitigate the risk, social distancing, basic germ prevention mechanisms and wearing a mask.

TIA’s International Logistics Conference Chairman Jim Damman of MODE Transportation said this regarding the re-opening letters: “We know it is long over-due to re-open these borders. It remains in everyone’s best interest to put politics aside, listen to the science, and begin to safely and effectively re-open these cross-border economies.”

Knowledge is key and we know how to re-open safely and responsible, it’s time to do just that. As the letters state: “We have the science, technology, and capacity to do better than the current border closure measures.” Additionally, we should follow the Federal government’s clear guidance from the Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) August 18 2020 memo outlining its definition of essential works:

“Workers supporting or enabling transportation and logistics functions, including truck drivers, bus drivers, dispatchers, maintenance and repair technicians, warehouse workers, third-party logisticians, truck stop and rest area workers, driver training and education centers, Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) workers, enrollment agents for federal transportation worker vetting programs, towing and recovery services, roadside assistance workers, intermodal transportation personnel, and workers that construct, maintain, rehabilitate, and inspect infrastructure, including those that require cross-jurisdiction travel.”

These essential workers should not be stopped at the border when delivering freight for Canada, USA and Mexico. We need to re-open the border in a safe, COVID-19 conscious manner. Our respective countries need to put the politics aside and do what is best for the health and economies of our three countries.

TIA’s International Logistics Conference has been following this issue since the beginning of the pandemic, and TIA has been active with the Administration and Congress about the role our members play in cross-border movements and the need to keep the borders open and free-flowing.

If you have any questions, please contact advocacy@tianet.org.