CBP to Pilot Expansion of CTPAT to Logistics Providers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is preparing a pilot program that would extend participation in the Customs‑Trade Partnership Against Terrorism to a broader set of logistics providers, marking a significant expansion of the long-running supply-chain security initiative beyond its traditional focus on cargo owners.

The pilot would allow selected third-party logistics firms — including both asset-based operators and non-asset-based intermediaries such as freight brokers — to seek CTPAT certification. CBP officials say the effort is intended to test whether incorporating logistics coordinators more directly into the program improves end-to-end supply-chain visibility and security without diluting CTPAT’s risk-management standards.

CTPAT, launched in 2001 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, is a voluntary public-private partnership administered by CBP under the Department of Homeland Security. Participants that meet prescribed security criteria receive trade-facilitation benefits, including reduced inspection rates and priority processing when examinations occur.

Until now, eligibility has largely been limited to importers, carriers, port operators, and other parties with direct custody of cargo. CBP has long faced pressure from industry to recognize the growing role of non-asset logistics firms, which often control routing, subcontracting, and documentation but fall outside existing CTPAT categories.

According to people familiar with the plan, the pilot will be capped and time-limited, allowing CBP to evaluate compliance burdens, enforcement risks, and operational benefits before deciding whether to make the expansion permanent. Participating logistics providers would be required to meet tailored minimum security criteria, maintain appropriate federal licenses or bonds, and limit subcontracting to avoid opaque “double-brokering” arrangements.

CBP outlined the framework for the pilot in a recent notice published in the Federal Register, signaling that applications could open as early as December. The agency said results from the program would inform any future rulemaking or statutory changes to the scope of CTPAT.

The move reflects broader efforts by CBP to modernize its risk-management approach as supply chains become more fragmented and intermediated. If successful, the pilot could redraw the boundaries of one of the government’s most prominent trade-security programs, bringing logistics coordinators more formally into the U.S. border-security architecture.

https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2025-20648.