U.S. Customs issues final rule for advance cargo data

U.S. Customs issues final rule for advance cargo data    The U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection has formally issued its final rule requiring freight carriers for all modes of transport to provide shipping data prior to the arrival of the vessel, rail car, airplane or truck at the U.S. border.
      The data must be sent by means of a Customs-approved electronic interchange system. Customs developed the security rule to gather data to match against commercial and law enforcement databases in screen for high-risk shipments.
   Rules for advance filing have been in place for inbound ocean shipments since Dec 2, 2002, where manifests must be provided 24 hours before a ship departs its point of origin.
   Transmittal times for other modes had been proposed by Customs last summer. The revised rules include one noticeable change, reducing the time for outbound trains to submit shipping data through the automated rail manifest system to two hours, rather than four hours prior to engine-to-car hookup. The time for inbound trains is also two hours.
   Timeframes for trucks are 30 minutes to one hour prior to arrival depending on security status. For air cargo data must arrive four hours prior to arrival, or at take off for flights under two hours of duration.
   Customs said it will issue a separate rule exempting air carriers from reporting requirements for letters and packages weighing less than one pound.
   The obligation for providing data for outbound shipments will be placed on a “United States Principal Party in Interest” or USPPI, usually the exporter of the goods. The principal party must provide the outbound carrier proof that the data has been filed electronically.
   Under the new Customs rule, the carrier may not load the outbound cargo until proof of filing has been provided.
   The new rules go into effect Jan. 5. Enforcement with regard to inbound shipments via vessels will start March 4. Enforcement in regard to outbound shipments and other modes of transportation will be phased in by Customs.
   The full filing is available on the Dec. 5 Federal Register.