RYDER HOSTS NORTH AMERICAN BORDER SECURITY CONFERENCE
MIAMI, November 19, 2010 – Ryder (NYSE: R), a leader in supply chain, warehousing and transportation management solutions, hosted a North American Border Security Conference on November 18, 2010, to share security and customs compliance best practices among customers, business partners, and government security agencies. The conference, which took place at Ryder’s Operations Management Center in Novi, Michigan, featured presentations by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its component agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Canada Border Services Agency; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and state homeland security advisors from Idaho, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
“The North American Free Trade Agreement among Canada, the U.S., and Mexico created the world’s largest free trade area, yet companies that move freight across these borders must remain aware of the significant security and customs compliance issues that continue to exist,” stated John Williford, Ryder’s President of Global Supply Chain Solutions. “This event reinforces Ryder’s commitment to proactively bring higher levels of safety and security to its operations and those of the customers we serve. By strengthening cross-border security processes, we help our customers gain a competitive advantage that allows them to prevent loss and drive efficiencies in their supply chain operations.”
At the event, U.S. Department of Homeland Security representatives discussed emerging threats and security trends impacting businesses that transport goods across North America. Participants also received an update on the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), a joint government-business initiative supported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce led a discussion on how to enhance security and trade facilitation simultaneously, to ensure maximum impact on security and minimal impact on businesses.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) provided an update on Canada Partners in Protection (PIP), a government program that enlists the cooperation of private industry to enhance border and trade chain security, combat organized crime and terrorism, and help detect and prevent contraband smuggling. The Agency also presented an update on eManifest, a major Government of Canada initiative designed to get the right information at the right time to enhance the ability of the CBSA to identify potential threats to Canada, while facilitating the movement of low-risk shipments across the border. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police provided an update on threats to critical infrastructure and organized crime trends in Canada. State homeland security advisors from Idaho, Michigan, and Wisconsin discussed state-related security issues pertaining to logistics and the flow of cross-border freight.
“At Ryder, we believe that one of the best ways to mitigate threats against business, reduce risk, and improve efficiencies is to increase collaboration between government agencies and the private sector,” said Sanford Hodes, Vice President of Safety, Health & Security for Ryder. “We greatly appreciate having the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Canada Border Services Agency, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and state homeland security advisors participate in our event, and thank them for their willingness to share best practices and prevention strategies that improve security throughout our operations and those of our customers.”
Ryder’s Global Security team is charged with identifying and implementing proactive measures to reduce theft and losses; improving supply chain, cargo, and fleet security; and protecting the Company’s and customers’ physical, personal, and intellectual assets. Earlier this year, Ryder hosted a U.S.-Mexico Border Security Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas, to share best practices in cross-border transportation security. In the interest of national security and as a responsible business entity, Ryder has a number of programs in place to improve security around the Company’s rental and lease vehicle fleet. Ryder’s operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Asia are certified in the U.S. C-TPAT and Canada PIP programs. Ryder was ranked number one for security practices in the Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain, and Warehousing industry sector in The 2009 Security Benchmarking Survey, a comprehensive security ranking for top corporate, institutional, and government organizations published in Security Magazine.
About Ryder
Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions company. Ryder’s stock (NYSE: R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Inbound Logistics magazine has recognized Ryder as the top third party logistics provider and Security magazine has named Ryder the number-one company for security practices in the transportation, logistics, supply chain, and warehousing sector. Ryder is a proud member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program, supporting national and local disaster preparedness and response efforts. For more information on Ryder System, Inc., visit http://www.ryder.com.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and information included in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including those risks set forth in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
