It is business as usual for Pacific Customs Brokers on Victoria Day, Monday, May 20, 2013. Our doors remain ALWAYS Open 24/7 regardless of Statutory and 
Civic Holidays.
Archive for the ‘Carrier’ Category
Victoria Day – Our Doors Remain Always Open
CBSA Set To Deploy ACI eManifest Technology for Freight Forwarders
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) recently issued the following statement regarding their upcoming June deployment of ACI eManifest technology that will allow freight forwarders to transmit advance house bill data. Other enhancements are also part of this June release and are detailed below.
TSU13-014 – Upcoming eManifest System Changes
On June 9, 2013, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will deploy electronic systems functionality that will enable freight forwarders to transmit advance house bill data on commercial goods destined for Canada.
Also included in this deployment package, the CBSA is introducing:
- new notices that will help to better inform clients of the level of completeness of their transmitted data. The new “Matched” and “Not Matched” notices will apply to house bill, close message, release, and highway and rail cargo data. Additional completeness notices will be introduced in future systems deployments.
- a Manifest Forward feature for house bill data. Through this functionality, clients will be able to share house bill data with their trade chain partners who are also registered with the CBSA to receive electronic notices. Future CBSA electronic systems will expand the Manifest Forward feature to other data and other trade chain partners.
Clients must register and test with the CBSA’s Technical Support Unit (TSU) to receive these notices.
Please find below the template for an e-mail that CBSA requires from the carrier to add new eManifest notices to the carrier’s EDI profile. The e-mail template must be sent by the carrier as the CBSA requires direct authorization from the carrier to process the request.
Note:
Carriers who engage a service provider using a generic profile will need to contact their service provider to ensure their request to receive the notices can be processed by the service provider. Once the CBSA adds the notices to the generic profile, all the clients using that generic profile will be able to request receipt of notices through their service provider. If clients would like to test the message, please contact the TSU.
Please also refer to Bulletin TSU13-003 regarding the changes to the ANSI 824 outbound messages that will also come into effect with the June 9, 2013, systems deployment.
Please contact the TSU at TSU.UST@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca should you have any questions.
For more information on eManifest, please visit: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/manif/menu-eng.html.
If you have any questions about ACI eManifest, please contact our Border Pro eManifest Team at 855.542.6644 or via email at emanifest@borderpro.ca. We also welcome your questions in our comments section below.
Resources:
Pacific Customs Brokers Launches ‘Your Broker Knows’ YouTube Channel
With the shifting tides of how information is consumed these days, preferences are moving over from text and audio to video. More people are using video to find information and educate themselves on products and services in the marketplace. This has not only created a hearty appetite for video content but also made video the perfect medium for us to communicate with our audience.
With this in mind, our team at Pacific Customs Brokers has been hard at work creating videos on a variety of topics for a range of audiences. We are excited to announce the launch of our very own YouTube channel – Your Broker Knows…, which is now online and ready to view here:
Visit the YouTube Channel: Your Broker Knows …
What sort of videos should you expect on our channel?
This channel is intended to be a resource for the import and export trade community. Featuring advice from leading industry experts, we aim to guide you through the fast-paced world of international trade and bring you insight into key issues affecting Customs regulations, cross-border trade, shipping and logistics.
Our videos will include:
- Interviews with industry experts
- ‘How-to’ tutorials
- Tips on international import and export
- Answers to our audience’s most common trade questions
- Archives and/or previews of the webinars and seminars we host
- Recordings of our celebratory client events
- Introduction to new services
Reasons to subscribe:
We will be uploading videos regularly so be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive alerts and notifications of future video uploads, as well as:
- Stay in the know about international trade news and global free trade agreements.
- Learn something - This channel will be a great resource on Customs compliance, shipping, importing and exporting into Canada and the U.S., NAFTA and much more.
- Get updates on the latest Customs regulations and cross-border issues.
- Interact, share ideas, provide feedback and make connections. This will also help us gather feedback and stay on the right track.
- Share what you learn – It is important for us all to exchange and share what we learn.
- Learn more about our services – Receive updates on our service offerings.
- Just because you like us – Show your support for our company.
As we continue to expand our video playlist, please do not hesitate to let us know of ways we can improve the channel and our video content. We value your feedback, so please comment on the YouTube channel and share the videos with business partners and friends. Do check back often, as we should have some exciting new videos planned for the rest of the year.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then video must be worth a million. Happy viewing!
Have you visited our YouTube channel - Your Broker Knows… yet? What do you think of our new channel? Share your comments with us below or email Ask Your Broker.
Highlights: CBP Annual Carriers Meeting May 8
On May 8, 2013, Pacific Customs Brokers attended the Annual Carriers Meeting hosted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and held at their facility at the Port of Blaine, WA.
Presenting on behalf of CBP were:
- Ken Williams – Assistant Area Port Director, Trade
- Ron McMillan – Cargo / Trade Chief
- Charlie Cunningham – Agriculture Branch Chief
While the main topic of discussion was the Cargo Pre-Inspection Pilot Program that is tentatively scheduled to commence in early June, 2013, many other items were also touched upon.
Brief highlights of these topics are listed below:
1. Cargo Pre-Inspection Pilot
The Cargo Pre-Inspection Pilot is one of the initiatives undertaken as part of the Beyond the Border Action Plan. CBP will be working in conjunction with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Public Safety Canada and Transport Canada to conduct primary truck processing on the Canadian side of the border. Only Free And Secure Trade (FAST) certified carriers are eligible to participate in this program and while it is not mandatory, CBP is encouraging all FAST carriers to participate and also to begin filing ACE electronic manifests on empty trucks.
Phase I of this pilot is scheduled to begin at Pacific Highway in early June and will run for up to six months. Subsequent to that, Phase II will go into effect at the Peace Bridge crossing between Buffalo, NY and Fort Erie, ON.
Further details of the program are outlined on this Cargo Pre-Inspection Pilot Factsheet.
2. Traffic Flow and Booth Alignment
Chief McMillan gave details of the revised traffic flow and asked that we help to distribute the following explanation and diagram. Southbound Improvements at the Pacific Border Crossing for U.S bound commercial and FAST trucks.
3. Changes to Carrier Bond Application Process
Assistant Director Williams indicated that there have been some changes to the application process to obtain carrier bonds. Carriers looking to become bonded can contact the port for details.
4. Wood Packaging Materials
Agriculture Chief Cunningham spoke about a significant increase (225%) in instances of pests and / or noxious weeds found in wood packaging materials. The result of this will be increased vigilance and more inspections. Chief Cunningham encouraged carriers to inform shippers, warehouse people and drivers to be on the lookout for non-compliant or obviously infested wood packaging materials to help avoid delays at the port of entry. Canadian shippers were informed that the use of kiln dried wood for packaging is recommended. Also, loading to allow easy access for CBP to perform wood inspection, can help reduce the need for off loading.
5. Driver Lunches
Chief Cunningham spoke about the instances of non-compliant food products found in drivers lunches. Drivers are reminded there is a $300 fine for not declaring personal food items. The percentage of non-compliance in passenger vehicles is approximately 7%, while in commercial vehicles it is approximately 20%. Chief Cunningham urged carriers to remind their drivers of the rules regarding the importation of foodstuffs, primarily fruits and vegetables, and also mentioned that they would endeavor to produce a list of non-compliant items that carriers could refer to.
6. Residual Materials
Assistant Director Williams spoke about the coming implementation of the requirement for manifesting and entry of residual material in instruments of international trade. To learn more read our recent blog on Manifesting and Entry of Residue Found in Instruments of International Traffic into the USA which also highlights a recent webinar held by CBP on this topic.
7. Sequestration
Assistant Director Williams stated that, while there was no official word on sequestration, there was some indication that its effect on CBP, and its staffing levels, may not be as dramatic as initially anticipated.
Pacific Customs Brokers would like to thank U.S. Customs and Border Protection for holding this meeting and taking the time to keep both carriers and customs brokers informed on pertinent issues. As more information becomes available, we’ll be sure to keep you informed.
Did you attend the Annual Carriers Meeting held by CBP on May 8, 2013? Share your thoughts in our comments section below.
Manifesting and Entry of Residue Found in Instruments of International Traffic into the USA
In July 2009, U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a ruling requiring all containers (all modes of transportation) to begin filing entry for any residue remaining at the time of entry into the United States. This was quite a reversal of previous rulings, which had allowed for instruments of international traffic which contain a residue of material be entered as empty.
This led to a great many questions and concerns from industry, and Customs and the trade community have worked hard over the past few years to come to an equitable and workable solution to the problems.
CBP is now set to implement an operational test of this rule, and a new version of the FAQ’s will be published by U.S. Customs as they prepare to launch the pilot.
U.S. Customs has provided a link to the webinar that was conducted for the trade community on April 16, 2013. A link to that webinar can be found here:
Webinar: Manifesting and Entry of Residue Found in Instruments of International Traffic
At the time of the ruling, CBP determined that the trade community needed additional time to fully understand and comply with the ruling’s requirements, and thus the ruling has been in an “informed compliance” stage for the past 24 months. While there have been a few “false starts” in this mandate, and CBP still has not scheduled a set date for the pilot, CBP now states that full enforcement of this ruling is expected to begin during this fiscal year.
The first step in this process will be publication of a Federal Register notice, at which point the test will proceed in 30 days, with an informed compliance period of 60 days, and enforced compliance after that time. U.S. Customs notes that once that test begins, all companies will be mandated to comply with the new requirements. The following is a brief highlight of the requirements:
- All Instruments of International Traffic containing residual chemicals, cargo, goods, etc. that are destined to the United States must be manifested and entered in compliance with U. S. Customs laws;
- If qualified, shipments containing residual goods can be entered as American Goods Returned (AGR);
- No additional bonding will be required. Most shipments will be released under Section 321, providing that the value of the residue is less than or equal to $200 in order to qualify;
- The manifest record is required to be retained by the carrier for a period of five years;
- Percentages vary depending on the mode of transportation – rail = 7% or less, truck & ocean = 3% or less, and air = 5% or less;
- The weight of residue will be required for all modes of transportation
We note that the webinar, linked above, is an excellent and the most current source of information regarding this issue.
We encourage you to use the short remaining time before enforcement to understand how these regulations will affect your firm, and to make the necessary adjustments within your organization to assure compliance before the enforcement date.
As always, Pacific Customs Brokers stands ready to assist you in this matter. If you have any questions about manifesting and entry of residue found in instruments of international traffic into the USA, please contact our Border Pro eManifest Team at 855.542.6644 or via email at emanifest@borderpro.ca. We also welcome your questions in our comments section below.