FAST card
A FAST card is CBP's trusted commercial driver credential (Free and Secure Trade) that lets vetted drivers use dedicated FAST lanes at U.S. land borders. On the southern border, the whole chain, carrier, importer, and manufacturer, must be CTPAT-certified for a load to use the lane.
The FAST card, short for Free and Secure Trade, is a CBP credential for commercial truck drivers crossing U.S. land borders with Mexico and Canada. Drivers apply, pass a background check, and receive a card valid for several years that identifies them as low-risk. The card is the driver-level piece of the trusted-shipment stack: on the U.S.–Mexico border, the FAST lane needs a FAST-carded driver, a CTPAT-certified highway carrier, a CTPAT-certified importer, and a CTPAT-certified Mexican manufacturer that seals the trailer with an ISO 17712 high-security seal. Mexico's OEA is mutually recognized with CTPAT, but OEA by itself does not qualify a load for the U.S. FAST lane.
What this means when you move freight
FAST lanes are the express checkout of the border. When wait times stretch at peak hours, a FAST-eligible load can save hours per crossing, which compounds into real capacity on daily shuttle operations. For carriers, keeping a bench of FAST-carded drivers is a competitive asset that shows up directly in how much freight a transfer fleet can cycle in a day. For brokers, knowing whether a lane's full chain is FAST-eligible tells you whether quoted crossing times are realistic. Note the distinction with SENTRI: SENTRI covers personal travel in private vehicles, while FAST covers commercial drivers hauling freight. A driver can hold both, but they are separate programs with separate lanes.
Next step
Crossing time is one input to a quote. Before you price the lane, check the market rate built from real carrier bids.
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