Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) - Commercial Vehicle Operations
Phase I
Northbound In-bond Container - In 1997, WA State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) received $1.3 million from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to apply ITS technologies to border operations at the Washington /British Columbia border. WSDOT hired the system integration firm of TransCore to assist in the technical aspects of the project and started by developing a technical committee that included staff from the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, U.S. Customs, several maritime shipping lines, and British Columbia's Ministry of Transportation (BC MoT).
This in-bond system is designed to monitor and facilitate the movement of northbound trucks carrying containerized, in-bond freight through the Blaine/Douglas commercial port of entry.
Phase 1 of the project employed a FHWA standard transponder tag to track in-bond containers trucked from the ports of Seattle or Tacoma into Canada. The tags, which are the same tags used for Washington's popular freeway speed weigh-in-motion system, are installed in the cab of safe, legal, and registered trucks. The system utilizes the unique tag serial number to reference carrier and vehicle credentials, as well as cargo invoice information and manifest data.
Automatic vehicle identification (AVI) readers are installed at the exit gates of the American President Lines terminal at the Port of Seattle and at the Maersk Sealand terminal at the Port of Tacoma. As the commercial vehicle exits, these gate systems detect the tag, and software references the container and in-bond information and posts it on the project's web site. The system also alerts U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) and other users that a container has left the marine terminal and is heading north. Additional AVI readers installed at two weigh stations along I-5 provide additional in-route-information. An advanced AVI reader installed a quarter of a mile south of the border gives CBP at the Blaine commercial crossing sufficient time to preview the in-bond transaction status before the truck arrives. The Inspectors may then allow the container and truck to pass through the border with little or no delay. A final reader at the border automatically clears out the bond on the shipment and marks the cargo as exported. The responsible carrier is simultaneously notified of the decrementation. This automatic decrementation helps to eliminate ongoing problems associated with "lost" in-bond shipments and paper work errors.
In addition to the hardware, the ITS uses the Trade Corridor Operation System (TCOS) information management system (found at http://www.transcorridor.com/). This Internet-based system links the AVI readers, the shipping line's information system, and U.S. Customs' Automated Manifest System (AMS). Currently, the system is being operated in a service center in San Diego by WSDOT's system integrator (TransCore). For security and privacy protection, information from the TCOS is available only to authorized, registered users. The information on the TCOS web site includes the read location, date/time, in-bond number, the container number, the bill of lading number, and commercial vehicle number associated with this transaction along with the transponder serial number that can be used to identify the vehicle and shipping agent. Advance, pre-processing, and targeting information is available to authorized users by accessing the project's TCOS web site. In addition, CBP and other enforcement agencies can customize the screen to include cautionary, security, and targeting information.
More Information: Contact Ed McCormack at the University of Washington Transportation Research Center: (206) 543-3348.
Phase II
This project provides a system similar to Phase I in the southbound direction, from the Port of Vancouver to the U.S. - Canada border crossing. It is part of the larger ITS-CVO regional intermodal transportation system that improves the efficient, safe and legal movement of trade and commercial transportation, northbound and southbound on B.C. Highway 15.
The project was funded by Transport Canada, BC MoT, FHWA, and WSDOT. Communication and information technology integrate American and Canadian commercial vehicle border export data systems. Phase II included the development of an electronic data system to provide advanced export information to customs agencies at the Pacific Highway border crossing. Similar to the northbound system, Phase II also integrated tag readers with weigh-in-motion technology to allow enrolled vehicles the opportunity to bypass the weigh scale at Port Mann.
More information on this portion of the project can be found on the Port Mann Weigh-in-Motion Software Integration project page.
This work resulted in a commercial vehicle import/export system for use by each country's customs agencies, ports and operators without compromising security and integrity of their respective systems.
In addition to the technology, this project also included the construction of a commercial vehicle staging area located adjacent to the border crossing on B.C. Highway 15.
More Information: Contact Valerie Fabick at the B.C. Ministry of Transportation: (604) 775-2666.
Phase III
Building on current ITS-CVO deployments, this project developed a concept of operations to evolve and expand the functional capabilities of the existing ITS projects. The concept determines the best path to increase the volume of pre-processed, cross-border shipments and perhaps to associate electronic driver identification data with the cargo and truck transponder systems. Such an integrated border system increases security and facilitates trade by providing border enforcement agencies with complete pre-arrival information about the trucking company, driver, and cargo.
All the proejct phases listed above are complete.
Continuing Analyses
To follow on the 2003 ITS Commercial Vehicle Operations Evaluation which was completed for this project, WCOG in partnership with Transport Canada has completed a follow-on study in 2006 to determine if the conclusions forecasted in 2003 were acurate. Click for a full description of the 2006 Border Evaluation study.