A question about C-TPAT questionnaires

[mtltrans]

Do clients (shippers, 3PL partners) have to complete the CBP CTPAT security questionnaire or is this just for carrier partners?
Anyone with experience in this?
Thanks

 

[loaders]

As a freight broker, we were constantly asked to complete CTPAT surveys for carriers that we work with. I don’t think we are receiving quite as many lately. Has something changed, or perhaps they just aren’t reaching my desk.

 

[Michael Ludwig]

CTPAT was all the rage when it first came out. Seemed like all the shippers only wanted CTPAT carriers, until DHS showed up at their doors looking to do an audit !!! Then for a lot of them, it wasn't quite so important.
The first audit is easy, but they get progressively harder (read expensive here). After our 4th, and final, audit DHS wanted us to spend over $200k to secure the property with fences, gates, lights, and guards. I asked why the guy down the road could get his CTPAT certification with a simple chain across the driveway. The auditors were unable to provide me with an answer. So we, (unceremoniously) let our CTPAT certification go. We opted to follow CTPAT procedures, and do the questionnaires instead. That was good enough.
It is 1,000% guaranteed that if there is a load "requiring" CTPAT certification, and there are no CTPAT trucks around, suddenly CTPAT becomes not quite so important.
No one, and I mean no one, pays you any extra to be CTPAT certified.

 

[MLCAR]

CTPAT was all the rage when it first came out. Seemed like all the shippers only wanted CTPAT carriers, until DHS showed up at their doors looking to do an audit !!! Then for a lot of them, it wasn't quite so important.
The first audit is easy, but they get progressively harder (read expensive here). After our 4th, and final, audit DHS wanted us to spend over $200k to secure the property with fences, gates, lights, and guards. I asked why the guy down the road could get his CTPAT certification with a simple chain across the driveway. The auditors were unable to provide me with an answer. So we, (unceremoniously) let our CTPAT certification go. We opted to follow CTPAT procedures, and do the questionnaires instead. That was good enough.
It is 1,000% guaranteed that if there is a load "requiring" CTPAT certification, and there are no CTPAT trucks around, suddenly CTPAT becomes not quite so important.
No one, and I mean no one, pays you any extra to be CTPAT certified.

Echoing the same sentiment here, CTPAT was an outright requirement for some of our Automotive customers. Its frankly not brought up as much now, and with the industry in shambles lately none of our customers bring it up. We had 1 or 2 customers in other industries bring it up as a sort of "good to have", but didn't stop us from winning business.

No one, and I mean no one, pays you any extra to be CTPAT certified.

Amen to that^

 

[bubba-one]

We too, dropped out after our 3rd visit from DHS, and these guys were great, looking for the best fishing spots, etc, etc, but when it came to the requirements they kept upping the requirements to the point we were just missing the badge and gun to do their job. We kindly sent them a letter stating the facts that we would be opting out but still maintianing the current level of security that we had. Oh and on one of their visits they new just came out of how 2 ctpat carriers were just caught at the Laredo crossing with dope on board. When I questioned about how this was working the response was the bad guys are always the first to be compliant and break the rules.