Welcome to FT. Is this TSA at the Syracuse airport? Could it be they were confused with Clear (a US-based Trusted Traveler program) which went bankrupt a couple of yrs ago?

Using Nexus while carrying commercial goods
 

I saw a couple of posts recently regarding the carrying of commercial goods while using a Nexus lane or kiosk. For entry into Canada at least, the applicable law is subsection 14.1(1) of the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations:

And from section 1 of that regulation:

Page 4 of the current Nexus Member's Guide makes the following exception:

This is just a friendly reminder that if you're carrying spare parts, samples, a trade show display or anything else of a commercial nature that does not fall into the exception mentioned above, you are not legally permitted to use a Nexus lane or Nexus kiosk. Using a kiosk when you've answered (or should have answered) "yes" to the commercial goods question is grounds for revocation of your Nexus privileges.

why is that?

if you answer yes to commercial goods you will be sent to customs and they will deal with it.. but it should not be a reason for revocation of nexus privileges

just used GE in MIA terminal E, priceless.. 2 minutes.

It probably shouldn't be, but it is. The law (quoted above) is clear. That, and it's spelled out in the Member's Guide.

We travelled with Nexus for 3 years under that assumption, hit Yes went to secondary, scanned everything and there were no issues.

Until a few weeks ago where we were severly warned never to do it again.

It was our own fault, I assumed that since the question was asked, and we answered truthfully, that was enough. We were very, very wrong.

Even though the officer in question fell into the stereotypical customs guard, he was nice enough to let us through with a warning.

We now just plan to ship everything ahead of time and save the headache

Sorry for the silly question - but I was planning to get a NEXUS card for the sole purpose of when I fly through Vancouver to California (as AC doesn't have much for direct flights).

Am I reading your statement correctly in that when I fly into Vancouver (YVR) from Edmonton (YEG) to head into the US, there is no advantage to having a NEXUS card?

That is correct. There are no NEXUS kiosks in the preclearance area from domestic connections. You would have to go out to the main concourse and enter the preclearance area through check-in, but I'm not sure if this would work due to the electronic photo confirmation of checked baggage prior to entering US customs.

Welcome to FT travellinggal55. ^

I watched someone get fingerprints taken. The screen showed which prints were good, which were excellent and which were poor. As far as I could tell, it came down to a couple of factors:

- Scanner's ability to see the fingerprints. A little hand cream went a long way to ensuring at least "good" quality.
- Amount of pressure being applied while the scan was done. Variable pressure led to variable quality.

So yes, fingerprint scans are a bit variable. For that matter, getting the retina scan to work is also a bit variable at times.

If I ran Nexus
 

The problem with the NEXUS rules is that they are not on your card and they are not on display. With normal entry, you have a card to fill out and someone to discuss it with you. With Nexus, you're supposed to have memorized their latest rule book. If a reasonable god programmed the Nexus machine and you answered "yes" to commercial goods, the machine would display a message stating why you cannot use the machine and direct you to the normal line. The punishment method is ridiculous. Once the election is over, write to your MP. And if she refuses to help, contact Prime Minister Layton.

True that the rules are not on display, but on the other hand, there really aren't that many, especially ones that are beyond common sense, at least for those who travel fairly frequently.

The commercial item rule is one that doesn't seem to be common sense. But I would argue most of the rules (report passport/visa/ID changes to the Nexus office, don't use Nexus when you've got non-nexus members in the car with you, etc.) are what most would expect. And if a member hasn't gone through the member guide when they joined to learn what they are, they really only have themselves to blame if they are breaking them.

The law in general isn't any different, in that ignorance is not an excuse - if you break it, you can still be charged.

Two items of interest from this morning.

-- I checked at at one machine; did all the questions, waiting for it to print the receipt. Then "This kiosk has sufferred a system failure. Please proceed to the regular lines" or something like that. Crap! The lines were long (Pearson T1)

-- so I simply went to the next machine, and it worked fine, issuing me my receipt. So I suspect this was simply a Windows or whatever OS type of crash, and isolated

By the way, I always make a point of having my Nexus card with my BP and the declaration form where the CBP guy does the Nexus stamp. The fellow this am stated, "Thanks for having your Nexus card out. I really appreciate it."

It is just so much easier if you just have it in your hand, and their hard nosed attitude changes.

I found an extreme version of that logic in Cambridge Mass where along Massachusetts Avenue there are street signs for the side streets but none for Mass Ave. When I asked about this, I was told that anyone who is on Mass Ave certainly should know that they are on it and that signs should not state the obvious.

well, duhhhhh! :D

Lost my NEXUS card :( (too much scotch in the plane last week)... Has anyone had to fill-in an application for a replacement card? What's the turnaround-time on the application review? Do I still have to wait weeks for an appointment?

Thanks in advance!