Trade and Compliance

Fewer options means less competition and less incentive to control costs.

CBP seized the Hong Kong-bound corn flakes frosted with cocaine at an express consignment facility near Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

The embezzler will serve concurrent prison terms as well as pay restitution for unpaid taxes.

Gina Raimondo will be the anti-Wilbur Ross as secretary of commerce, with less focus on protectionism.

Amazon is the bogeyman for many people. Freight forwarders say if they have to screen cargo to get it on all-cargo planes then electronic retailers like Amazon should too. They see a double standard in the making by the Transportation Security Administration.

The Geotab reseller segment will be the initial target for VideoProtects transport technology, which J. J. Keller has acquired.

The Agriculture Transportation Coalition is grateful to the Federal Maritime Commission for its support of American shippers.

The closure of the U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico for nonessential travel will extend through Jan. 21, though commercial trucks remain exempt.

Trade group representing drayage drivers calls the move “huge”

Experts warn of parcel backlog at U.S. entry points should CBP refuse entry to shipments.

Many companies may have been paying tariffs on imports from China they were not required to pay. C.H. Robinson is trying to help businesses identify what they may be owed ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline to apply for reimbursement.

The TSA is doing a better job partnering with airfreight companies on security, but better training and technology are needed to meet future security obligations.

Amazon gets the pick of the litter. Its latest hire is an American Airlines executive picked to run local terminals.

The carrier sought relief from commission regulations earlier this month as part of its efforts to recover from a crippling cyberattack in late September.

The ocean container industry association files an agreement with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to ensure its collective activities do not violate the Shipping Act.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America’s general counsel Ed Greenberg looks forward to spending time with his grandson.

“Regardless of who wins the upcoming elections, our country is in desperate need of a cohesive export plan as well as an infrastructure program and a digitization strategy for ports across the country,” says Executive Director Gene Seroka.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission will consider the French liner carrier’s relief petition to give it time to clean up its systems.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission wants to learn the extent of allegations that ocean carriers are targeting noncontracted service providers for freight payment.

U.S. Federal Maritime Commission steps forward with notice of inquiry to evaluate alleged ocean carrier abuse of “merchant” definition for bill of lading responsibility.

The CBP must establish reasonable suspicion a good is made with forced labor in order to institute a WRO.

Automated freight forwarding can transform the international shipment of perishable goods by bringing efficiency and transparency, Transship CEO says at American Shipper’s Global Trade Tech summit.

U.S. announces it is dropping tariffs on Canadian aluminum as Canada prepared to unveil countermeasures.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America said its members are tired of ocean carriers charging them hundreds of dollars over their service contract rates.

COVID-19 may have disrupted supply chains but not the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission’s regulatory and policy focus on ocean container shipping, FMC chairman says.

New medicines and life science products are more valuable and temperature-sensitive than before, requiring special storage and transportation conditions. Will there be enough of this infrastructure to handle a COVID vaccine?

3PL’s MyParcel provides European e-commerce customers a scheduled, yet competitively priced shipping service between existing express and postal.

Commercial fishing is big business in Alaska. And like all industries, it depends on supply chains to work properly…

President Trump says he has reimposed U.S. tariffs on Canadian aluminum imports in response to the market being flooded.

Containers are used to carry imports to the U.S., but they also carry exports from the U.S. The agriculture industry depends on them, but COVID-19 has caused the system to fray…

Trade has been destabilized by the pandemic. Can trade credit insurance help de-risk trade to a degree and help solidify supply chains?

Chairman Michael Khouri explains how the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission keeps track of COVID-19-induced ocean container carrier sailing schedule changes for anticompetitive behavior.

Lori Ann LaRocco illustrates the disruption to global trade by profiling what has happened at the Port of Miami since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller -Maersk has reached an agreement to acquire Sweden-based customs brokerage to offer increased import clearance services to European shippers.

For Canada, United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) makes trading with the United States a bit more complicated. And it may create some headaches for the trucking industry.

$3.8 billion in U.S. trucking revenue at stake in U.S.-Mexico cross-border freight.

For years, exporters and importers have been frustrated by the former U.S. Customs and Border Protection process to withhold their names and addresses in manifest data from the public.

Although “Containers Don’t Lie,” the story they are telling may not reveal the entire picture.

The Trump administration’s reported plans to re-impose tariffs on aluminum imports from Canada could threaten cross-border supply chains. Or is it just a negotiating tactic?

“Freedom of the Skies” is tempered by landing slots at airports, which are controlled by the governments the airports are in. In the high-stakes world of air cargo, landing slots are very valuable. Learn more in Darren Prokop’s commentary.

Digitization of forms and the use of blockchain will cut costs and time from the supply chain. Brian Aoaeh writes about those issues in India.

The closure of the United States-Canada border to nonessential travel is disrupting Canadian consumers’ and small businesses’ reliance on “hacks” to get products from the U.S. — and that’s a good thing, says the CEO of A & A Customs Brokers.

The 1920 Merchant Marine Act authorizes the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to investigate and penalize foreign governments with ocean shipping regulations that discriminate against U.S. trade.

Lori Ann LaRocco explains why intra-Asian trade is down and its affect on the United States.

Logistics services provider is optimistic about African continent’s global freight potential, despite economic setbacks from COVID-19 pandemic.

Gene Seroka reports worst May in more than a decade, predicts 15% of import cargo won’t return

The World Shipping Council says exemption for ocean container carriers from publishing essential terms of their service contracts with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is a step in the right direction.

Darren Prokop provides information on the USMCA, which goes into effect on July 1, 2020. How will the agreement impact trade and supply chains in the three countries?

Third-party logistics services providers involved in international trade remain concerned about how their businesses will remerge post-COVID-19. They are addressing tough questions about what it will take in terms of staff, systems and office space to operate a successful company.

The global pandemic has strained relations between the U.S. and China. Will that cause the trade deal negotiated earlier this year to break down?

Escalating airfreight transportation rates and capacity shortages from China due to the global pandemic have encouraged some shippers to split supply chain shipments between ocean and air pallets.

Panel of importers and exporters will advise the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission on policies of competitiveness, reliability, integrity and fairness in ocean shipping.

U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner Rebecca Dye said Fact Finding 29’s work will help the American ocean shipping industry better prepare the supply chain for the post-virus economic recovery.

U.S. Federal Maritime Commission finds sufficient credibility in Lake Carriers’ Association petition to support invoking rarely used 1920 Merchant Marine Act investigative authority.

Pandemic-caused shortages put spotlight on importance of cargo moved through California ports

NCBFAA President Janet Fields has knowledge and skills to lead industry through worst of times, former association President Amy Magnus says.

CNBC’s Lori Ann LaRocco writes about the impact of COVID-19 on U.S.-China trade, particularly in regard to the trade war between the two nations.

The duty deferment applies to qualifying importers facing “significant financial hardship,” Customs and Border Protection said.

Problem-solving supply chain bottlenecks is the way to build customer loyalty, freight experts say.

Cargo flows face worst hit in a century but have potential to bounce back fast.

Third-party logistics providers engaged in international trade are facing the difficult decision of whether to thin staff or even close altogether in the face of a prolonged economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Members of the Washington, D.C.-based National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America interviewed by American Shipper this week generally praised CBP for permitting the flow of legitimate trade across the continent.

The Justice Department said joint logistics operations among five American medical supply distributors to provide protective medical gear to virus hot spots does not violate antitrust law.

3M pushes back as Trump pressures company to keep all domestically produced N95 masks within the U.S. as hospitals and healthcare workers encounter shortages of personal protective equipment as they fight COVID-19.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it will do its part to keep imports of medical gear flowing efficiently into the country.

Assistant Commissioner Todd Owen said additional reimbursable services agreements help Customs and Border Protection facilitate commerce during COVID-19 pandemic.

CNBC’s Lori Ann LaRocco provides commentary on how the Phase One trade deal between the U.S. and China has not worked as thought, at least to date….

One of the world’s largest suppliers of disposable rubber gloves may resume exports to the U.S. after resolving forced labor concerns, Customs and Border Protection said.

“This agreement will help our farmers and ranchers by maintaining export markets, which will reduce the overall impact of an outbreak to our agriculture industry,” USDA said.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative acknowledged, “the imposition of tariffs on certain Chinese imports has resulted in an overall decline in the availability of needed medical equipment and supplies.”

The Chinese government is using the reason “Acts of God” to void many contracts due to coronavirus. Darren Prokop explores whether that is hurting current trade and will impact trade in the future.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the ports of entry remain watchful of fraudulent imports that take advantage of Americans during the COVID-19 crisis.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Chicago O’Hare airport international mail facility find more counterfeit coronavirus test kits in parcel shipments from the U.K.

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control adds five U.A.E. companies to SDN List for facilitating embargoed Iranian oil sales.

Americans for Free Trade, which represents more than 100 trade organizations, said eliminating existing U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods would boost the American economy by $75 billion during the COVID-19 crisis.

While USDA and FDA staff and resources become constrained by the coronavirus, the agencies continue to work with industry to protect the health of the food supply chain.

The Trump administration notified Congress that it will begin bilateral trade agreement talks with the East African country.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection attributed the cancellation to “the unprecedented situation related to coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country, and the closure of our testing centers.”

Office operations that remain open implement CDC guidance to protect employees from spreading or contracting COVID-19.

“With ongoing challenges posed by the coronavirus, there is real concern about these fees being assessed when there are equipment issues beyond the control of the shipper or motor carrier,” 67 trade associations told the Federal Maritime Commission.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security said the 24 companies and individuals added to the Entity List pose a U.S. national security and foreign policy risk.

“The American public should be aware of bogus home testing kits for sale either online or in informal direct to consumer settings,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added Russian oil company overseas affiliate TNK Trading International in Switzerland to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

The Commerce Department’s Census Bureau and Bureau of Industry and Security believe an upcoming proposed rulemaking may resolve the regulatory confusion for required export data.

“Right now, I believe most ocean carriers and marine terminal operators are acting responsibly and fairly in these challenging conditions,” FMC Commissioner Daniel Maffei said.

“As an industry representing brands and retailers, we do not tolerate forced labor in our supply chains,” said five large U.S. apparel and footwear associations.

Lingering effects from tariff battles with China also contributed to decline in February.

Trump administration reminds U.S. exporters of semiconductors and other technologies that it views the Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer as a continued security threat.

Airforwarders Association Executive Director Brandon Fried said minimizing threat of illegal drugs requires freight forwarders to “know your customer.”

“China has continued to embrace a state-led, mercantilist approach to the economy and trade, despite WTO members’ expectations,” the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in its annual report to Congress.

The fake Oral-B toothbrush heads, which arrived at Philadelphia airport from Turkey, were likely made in “unsanitary facilities with substandard materials,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

JAXPORT hosts seminar on the often misunderstood and misused International Commercial Terms.

The test in Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Commercial Environment will be the third between the Fish and Wildlife Service and relevant importers since May 2016.

“In 2020 both governments expect to implement low-cost, high-impact strategies to simplify customs and immigration screening and reduce wait times,” the U.S. State Department said.

The 2019 Protecting America’s Food and Agriculture Act provides funding to help Customs and Border Protection close a shortfall among its agriculture specialist ranks over the next three years.

The UN Human Rights Council has developed a database identifying companies that conduct business with Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

“This exception ensures that the declaration requirement fulfills the intent of the Lacey Act while reducing the regulatory burden on importers,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

A proposed $1.8 billion sale of U.S.-origin air defense systems is expected to open a pathway to increased exports to the South Asian economy.

The federal court affirmed an earlier decision by the Court of International Trade, despite a challenge from the American Institute for International Steel claiming the president overstepped his authority.

The National Treasury Employees Union tells House appropriators that Customs and Border Protection requires an additional 1,100 officers and staff to carry out its mission at the nation’s ports of entry.