Several CBSA operational changes landed in the last week of July 2026. None is a policy shift, but each one changes a step in somebody’s daily process — a program that is closing, a new port code that has to be used correctly, a portal display gap, and a new consultative forum now holding its first meetings. Here is what changed and what to do about it.
Commercial Driver Registration Program ends September 1, 2026
The CBSA is ending the Commercial Driver Registration Program (CDRP) as of September 1, 2026, citing low uptake and duplication with the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program. The usage gap is stark: CDRP received 158 applications in fiscal year 2025-26, against roughly 12,000 applications a year for FAST.
Practical impact: applications received on or before September 1, 2026 will still be processed, and existing CDRP cards remain valid until their expiry date — so there is no immediate disruption for current holders. Drivers who want to keep Trusted Trader benefits beyond their card’s expiry should apply to FAST, which provides dedicated lanes and faster clearance in both Canada and the United States at participating ports of entry. FAST approval requires a risk assessment by both countries, after which a US$50 fee provides five years of membership; FAST members can also carry Customs Self-Assessment (CSA)-eligible goods for carriers in the CSA program. Carriers should inventory which of their drivers hold CDRP cards, note the expiry dates, and start FAST applications early enough to avoid a gap in benefits.
Read the announcement on the CBSA | Apply to the FAST program
Gordie Howe International Bridge — new port code 0455
The Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to traffic at noon ET on July 27, 2026, and the CBSA port of entry there operates under port code 0455. The facility runs 24 primary inspection lanes, configurable to as many as 16 commercial lanes, and is staffed around the clock by the CBSA’s Southern Ontario Region.
Practical impact: carriers and brokers routing through Windsor–Detroit must transmit 0455 on manifests and declarations for shipments crossing this bridge. A new crossing means the code is not yet muscle memory, and an incorrect port code produces a reject rather than a warning — so it is worth confirming your systems and your service providers’ systems have it before peak volume, not after.
Importers have also reported CFIA rejects on shipments arriving at port 0455 in the days immediately following the opening. If you are moving food, plant or animal commodities across this bridge, confirm the port code is being transmitted correctly on the Integrated Import Declaration, and treat reject messages in this period as potentially systemic rather than assuming an error in your own filing. The Canadian Society of Customs Brokers has raised the issue with the CBSA on behalf of members.
Read about the new port of entry on the CBSA
CARM Portal — details missing from the transaction list
Importers have reported that the CARM Client Portal transaction list is not displaying complete details for some transactions.
Practical impact: the portal is the system of record for what an importer owes and when, so an incomplete transaction view is a reconciliation problem, not a cosmetic one. Until it is resolved, do not treat the on-screen list as a complete account — download and retain your Statement of Account each period, reconcile it against your own entry records rather than against the portal display, and raise discrepancies through your CARM business account rather than assuming a missing line is a portal glitch.
Read more about CARM on the CBSA
Commercial and Trade Industry Forum holds inaugural meeting
The Commercial and Trade Industry Forum (CTIF) — which replaced the Border Commercial Consultative Committee (BCCC) on May 5, 2026 — has held its inaugural meeting and circulated the meeting documents. CTIF is a CBSA-led forum bringing together industry stakeholders and government partners on commercial and trade priorities, policies, programs and border processes.
Practical impact: membership is open to all associations and enterprises located in Canada, and members can attend quarterly and ad-hoc meetings virtually. This is the main formal channel for raising operational issues — exactly the sort of thing described elsewhere in this post — directly with the CBSA. Organizations wanting to join can request an application package and Terms of Reference from ctif-fiscec@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.
Read about the Commercial and Trade Industry Forum on the CBSA
Also this period
- New designated export reporting office — the CBSA has designated an additional export reporting office for CERS and G7-EDI filers (technical notice TCC26-0121). Exporters should confirm their reporting office details are current before their next filing.
- Single Window ECCRD Addendum 1.6 — a correction was issued to the Integrated Import Declaration (IID) addendum under TCC26-0040. Service providers and in-house filers maintaining their own EDI mappings should apply the corrected addendum.
- SSL certificate update — the CBSA issued an SSL certificate update (TCC26-0123) affecting EDI connections. Anyone maintaining a direct connection should confirm the new certificate is installed to avoid transmission failures.
What this means for your operations
Operational changes like these rarely arrive with a compliance deadline attached, which is precisely why they get missed until a shipment rejects or a statement does not reconcile. NGB can confirm your drivers’ Trusted Trader coverage ahead of the CDRP wind-down, verify port codes and Single Window mappings on your declarations, and reconcile your CARM Statement of Account against your entry records so a portal display gap does not become an accounting problem.
