DHS Inspector General Report Says C-TPAT for Trucks Needs Add'l Security Measures
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General's Office released an audit report recommending improved security verification procedures for truckers approved within the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program. CBP said it concurred with the report and is working on the issues.
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The report reviewed information from 2009 for the audit, which occurred form Sept. 2010-Sept. 2011. The Inspector General's Office looked at 21 (out of 400) C-TPAT validated highway carriers, it said.
The report said C-TPAT validation didn't always ensure that highway carriers' practices "meet minimum security requirements." The report said Supply Chain Security Specialists (CSSs) didn't always follow the established procedures. Specifically, they did not always:
- Conduct a secondary vetting procedure on the carrier to confirm that no significant Customs violations had taken place;
- Complete the initial validation within 1 year of the certification; or
- Obtain signed certification letters.
The review was done during "transitional period for C-TPAT," CBP said in an April 11 response letter to the report. Some of the issues raised by the report were already being addressed internally, said CBP. CBP said it would how C-TPAT webinars for its staff and will update procedures for better documentation. CBP expects this be completed by the end of the year, it said.