U.S. Customs and Border Protection and its Canadian counterpart are seeking to establish a cargo pre-clearance program that would allow admissibility decisions to be made before rail and truck shipments reach the border, Commissioner Alan Bersin told a Senate panel.

Asked about delays for commercial motor carriers along the northern border, Bersin said CBP and the Canadian Border Services Agency hope to implement a pilot program for advance cargo release in the near future.

The move is rooted in Bersin's desire to reduce shippers' costs to clear the border with the largest U.S. trading partner and make trade more productive. It also furthers the goals of a recent declaration between U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the two countries will strive to share responsibility for safety, security and disaster recovery at a continental level.

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