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CBP to require advance manifest for truck shipments

Starting in January, carriers will be fined $5,000 for first offenses and $10,000 for subsequent violations.

   Submission of an advance electronic manifest in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) will be required for de minimis shipments arriving in the U.S. via commercial truck starting Jan. 1, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS) message on Monday.
   Beginning in the new year, CBP will start issuing penalties for carriers that “make no attempt” to comply with the electronic manifest requirement, the agency said.
   First offenses will incur a fine of $5,000, and subsequent offenses will incur fines of $10,000, CBP said.
   Shipments qualifying for de minimis, or Section 321, release have been exempt from the electronic manifest filing requirement because of a CBP policy decision made during the implementation of the Trade Act of 2002, the agency said.
   The growth in e-commerce and an increase of the de minimis value from $200 to $800 have resulted in a significant growth in shipments being manifested and released under Section 321, CBP said.
   “Companies not utilizing the provided portal will need to hire a service provider or have an [electronic data interchange] EDI system in place to submit the information,” the CSMS message says.
   The lack of an electronic manifest eliminates CBP’s ability to conduct risk assessments or perform advance targeting in the Automated Targeting System and results in longer processing and wait times, the agency said.
   Starting Nov. 26, CBP “will begin a phased approach for noncompliance with conveyances being referred to secondary for processing,” the CSMS message says.

Brian Bradley

Based in Washington, D.C., Brian covers international trade policy for American Shipper and FreightWaves. In the past, he covered nuclear defense, environmental cleanup, crime, sports, and trade at various industry and local publications.