CONCORD, Calif. -- Pacer Stacktrain, a double-stack train-based shipping company and a division of Pacer International, Inc., has received formal certification under the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). The program, aimed at enhancing the security of the nation's international supply chain, is administered by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Pacer Stacktrain expects that one of the benefits for the company and its customers will be fewer cargo examinations and reduced border delays at its border crossings between the United States and both Mexico and Canada, said Tom Shurstad, division president.
Pacer Stacktrain markets and manages one of North America's largest double-stack container networks for the distribution of both domestic and international containerized freight. Its parent company, Pacer International, is a non-asset-based North America third-party logistics and freight transportation provider.
"Pacer Stacktrain, as the only non-railroad, dedicated wholesale operator of a double-stack freight distribution system in the marketplace, is helping to expand the C-TPAT program within the intermodal sector," according to Shurstad. He noted that each of North America's seven class I railroads is certified.
Most C-TPAT members are importers and the importers' directtransportation providers, such as ocean carriers and truckers, while Pacer Stacktrain markets its services to third-party intermediaries such as intermodal marketers and ocean carriers.
J.R. Thornton, Pacer Stacktrain's vice president for planning and administration, said certification means that Pacer Stacktrain's operating and security procedures and its terminals and other facilities have been audited for compliance with C-TPAT security guidelines, and that the company has also committed to continue improving security. The security guidelines encompass such areas as procedural security, physical security, personnel security, and others.
"The C-TPAT process allows us to review and reinforce our security policies throughout our organization," Thornton added. "Procedures addressing issues such as background checks, data protection and terminal security reduce the extent to which shipments, equipment or data could become accessible to unauthorized persons."
Thornton noted that Pacer Stacktrain was assisted throughout the C-TPAT evaluation and application process by Strategic Solutions Partners, LLC, an Orinda, California-based consulting firm. "Expert guidance and support such as theirs can make it possible for many firms engaged in supply-chain activities to enjoy the benefits of C-TPAT and to contribute to a more secure and efficient overall infrastructure," he said.
