U.S. Customs sets rollout dates for truck manifest reporting

U.S. Customs sets rollout dates for truck manifest reporting

   U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced the dates and land-border ports at which truck carriers must soon begin to transmit advance electronic cargo information to the government.

   Electronic truck manifest filing requirements were initiated by the 2002 Trade Act. Under the law, Customs must electronically receive truck manifest information through a agency-approved electronic-data-interchange (EDI) system no later than one hour before the carrier’s arrival at the first U.S. port.

   For truck carriers arriving with shipments qualified for clearance under the FAST (Free and Secure Trade) program, the agency must electronically receive cargo information no later than 30 minutes before the carrier arrives at the first U.S. port.

   Customs has approved two interim EDI systems for use until its Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) truck manifest becomes operational. The approved systems are the Pre-Arrival Processing System (PAPS) and QP/WP (an Automated Broker Interface processing system that allows filers to create and process in-bond shipments).

   Until the ACE truck manifest module is operational, all trucked cargo is subject to advance information filing requirements, except for cargo in transit from point to point within the United States and certain informal entries.

   Customs also said “as a temporary accommodation,” it would not require either of the agency-approved EDI systems to be used if the merchandise transported by the truck carrier is approved for processing under the Customs Automated Forms Entry System (CAFES) or the Border Release Advanced Screening and Selectivity (BRASS) program.

   Customs has named 40 northern and southern border ports, such as Detroit and Port Huron, Mich.; and Laredo and El Paso, Texas, for the electronic truck manifest compliance date of Nov. 15. The second wave of 43 land-border ports for the truck manifest implementation is scheduled for Dec. 15. The last 16 land-border ports will be added to the program by Jan. 14.

   For a complete list of the land-border ports and their truck manifest implementations, access online: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/04-18818.htm.

   Also, for more information, contact James Swanson of Customs' Office of Field Operations at (202) 344-2576.