CBP selects brokers for simplified air cargo entry pilot program

U.S. Customs and Border Protection chose nine companies who will act as brokers in the agency’s test program aimed at simplifying air cargo entry into the U.S.

The pilot program, jointly created by CBP and the cargo trade, is designed to test the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) entry capability, said the agency on Dec. 9. ACE is the commercial trade processing system under development by CBP to speed trade while strengthening border security.

"This is a real win-win," says Allen Gina, assistant commissioner for CBP’s Office of International Trade. "The pilot will enhance national security because CBP can identify and address potential risks earlier in the process, and cargo will be expedited because the importers have more time to resolve potential problems before the goods arrive in the U.S.

The agency chose the nine companies from 40 submission to its Nov. 9 notification in the Federal Register. It said the pilot participants are A.N. Deringer, Inc., Expeditors, FedEx Trade Networks, FH Kaysing, Janel Group of New York, Kuehne + Nagel Inc., Livingston International, Page & Jones, Inc., and UPS.

The participants will submit a reduced amount of information—12 required and three optional data elements—prior to the arrival of the merchandise for transporting the cargo to the US, said CBP. The simplified entry can be filed much earlier in the import process, allowing an expanded window of opportunity to identify potential risks earlier, it said. The process will also allow pilot participants to update entry information, providing CBP more accurate data and enhancing cargo security, according to the agency.

The pilot eliminates the current entry, CBP Form 3461, replacing it with a streamlined set of data, simplifying the merchandise release process, and reducing transaction costs for the trade, said CBP.

Pilot participants will file entries for their clients, which include Nike, USA Inc., GE Energy, Chrysler Group LLC, New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc., Ford Motor Company, Boeing, and Lear Corporation.