Trucking Compliance

The department’s extension of the temporary general license gives U.S. companies another 90 days to continue their business activities with the Chinese telecom.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the enhancements, to be rolled out over three phases through the rest of this year and 2020, pave the way to retiring legacy truck manifest application.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will use the industry’s comments to refine its Section 321 E-Commerce Data Pilot.

U.S. poultry producers eye more than $1 billion market potential for China after being shut out for five years.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia discovered the counterfeit rings potentially valued at $562,000, if genuine, in an express shipment manifested as a “box” valued at $14.

Digitalizing roadside assistance will help customers get quicker service, while service providers and garages/repair shops can track progress in real-time to ensure high customer satisfaction.

Connectivity is crucial to success in trucking. Darren Prokop writes about various aspects of connectivity that make trucking more transparent and efficient.

A Miami-based customs broker specializing in perishable imports will benefit from access to agency officers for after-hours inspections through the Reimbursable Services Program.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control assessed $210,600 civil penalty against Apollo Aviation Group for violating the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations.

The hard deadline for the ELD mandate hits on December 16, and a significant portion of the fleets that run AOBRDs are looking to put off ELD adoption until the last minute.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found the drugs stuffed in duffel bags inside a container load of scrap aluminum and copper en route to Europe from South America.

The NCBFAA, which represents the customs brokerage industry, has become increasingly upset with the management at the Customs and Border Protection-contracted test sites and the way applicants are treated.

False submission of shipment information in the U.S. government’s Automated Export System helps sink scheme to smuggle military-style inflatable boats and engines to China, according to officials.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the ports keep watch for untreated wood packaging in cargo shipments to prevent the spread of wood-boring pests.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said importers of tobacco from the southeast African country must demonstrate the goods are not in violation for clearance.

The rise of e-commerce and the evolution of customer expectations on delivery schedules have propelled the last-mile segment to be more reactive to demand and highly digitalized.

The U.S. Justice Department said Peter Sotis, former owner of Florida-based Add Helium, is accused of smuggling rebreather equipment without an export license to the war-torn country.

The PACT Act closely mirrors the unsuccessful Graham-Van Hollen Turkey Sanctions Bill in the Senate.

U.S. freight forwarders have increasingly embraced canines as part of their technology-driven air cargo security programs.

“This new humanitarian mechanism will help international companies that seek to engage in permissible humanitarian trade with Iran to ensure that they do not run afoul of sanctions,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

Canadian national Alexis Vlachos, who was sentenced to prison last September, will not be able to export or receive anything from the U.S. for the next seven years, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security said.

Among the resistant 30%, reasons to avoid dash cams range from protecting driver privacy to the fear of driver turnover.

Battery Council International, which represents U.S. lead acid battery manufacturers, praised the removal of the potentially unsafe products from the supply chain.

The Trump administration said the Turkish government satisfied the five-day ceasefire commitment in northern Syria.

The Southern African country’s political leadership established the national holiday to protest longtime U.S. economic sanctions.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control policy, which focuses on financial ownership of sanctioned individuals or entities, bedevils U.S. companies with sophisticated compliance programs.

The Wise Honest illegally transported coal on behalf of the North Korean regime from November 2016 to April 2018.

The Trump administration said it is taking this latest regulatory action to further restrict the Cuban government’s efforts to support Venezuela’s Maduro regime.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 17 extended the general license for Nynas AB that is 50% owned by Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petrόleos de Venezuela S.A.

Turkey has the next five days to maintain the ceasefire against Syrian and Kurdish forces before the U.S. sanctions are removed.

Fleets have been investing in safety technologies, but the public does not seem to be recognizing this fact, with the majority of Americans believing they are safer drivers than most truck drivers.

The Hong Kong Human Right Rights and Democracy Act, which unanimously passed the House of Representatives on Oct. 15, puts pressure on Hong Kong to uphold U.S. export controls.

This is another in a series of videos produced by FreightWaves and SmartDrive, recorded at the recent SmartDrive Customer Conference in Atlanta. FreightWaves editor-at-large John Kingston discussed several key issues in trucking and transport with both SmartDrive executives and several conference speakers.   Cameras in the cab may show that a truck driver was at fault […]

Brexit is now only two weeks away but the dangers facing truckers and shippers continue to mount.

Government initiatives are encouraging the freight rail sector to address cyber threats. But what else needs to be done?

FreightWaves finds growing evidence that manufacturers and distributors are transferring operations from the U.K. to northern Europe.

The Trump administration takes aim at financial assets of Turkish government agencies and officials linked to military strikes in Syria, but Congress may legislate broader sanctions in the days ahead.

NCBFAA generally supports Customs and Border Protection’s goal to protect against illicit importers but said the agency’s proposed importer verification rule has “grossly miscalculated the cost” to customs brokers.

The company employed 540 drivers and was Camping World’s primary delivery service for RVs

The Graham-Van Hollen sanctions bill would cut off Turkey from U.S. military equipment and parts, as well as target foreign support of the country’s oil and gas production used by its armed forces.

Customs brokers say a permanent extension of the 2017 Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act would incentivize Customs and Border Protection to automate the tax refund process.

The Hispanic community has contributed immensely to the new American dream and is currently one of the fastest growing ethnic minorities within the trucking sector.

Customs and Border Protection officers said the counterfeit footwear, which was recently seized at the L.A./Long Beach seaport complex, was mis-declared as “napkins.”

“This new module will make it easier for Commerce and CBP to monitor and uphold our trade laws,” Executive Assistant Commissioner Brenda Smith of CBP’s Office of Trade said.

The Commerce Department said the Chinese government and commercial entities added to the export control list participated in human rights violations against China’s Muslim ethnic minorities.

U.S. Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Michael Khouri talks with American Shipper about priority container shipping regulatory issues for fiscal year 2020.

The association, which represents the country’s customs brokers and freight forwarders, seeks better engagement between Customs and Border Protection and industry software vendors.

The Government Accountability Office found that Treasury, State and Commerce agencies, which administer U.S. economic sanctions, lack the ability to definitively measure their effectiveness.

High driver turnover rates have been common in the trucking industry for several decades. Improving the quality of discussions between fleet management and drivers might help reduce the churn.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America will work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to develop the education program.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said three GE subsidiaries failed to use “reasonable care” by accepting payments from a Cuban entity associated with a Canadian customer.

Customs and Border Protection issued holds on five products from five countries, requiring U.S. importers to re-export those products or provide additional information that they were not made with forced labor.

Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association, believes U.S. Customs and Border Protection must step up engagement with his industry to boost its participation.

With 7,000-10,000 trucks using the Calais-Dover route between France and England every day, a no-deal Brexit will hit haulage companies hard, says the IRU.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control identified Moscow-based Maritime Assistance LLC as the head of a “sanctions evasion scheme” to deliver jet fuel to Syria.

Fatigue symptoms can be gathered by measuring the brain waves of truckers, which can be used to sound early warnings before drivers show visible signs of fatigue.

Carriers face prospect of hiring more company drivers should they fail the ABC test.

Customs and Border Protection officers in the Kentucky port of entry seized counterfeit Cartier bracelets and other jewelry between July and September, resulting in an importer’s arrest.

Four ocean shipping firms and four tankers are added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals List for their roles in supporting Maduro regime.

The aerospace and defense company Harris Corp. failed to stop repeated violations of the Arms Export Control Act for several years following notification by the Defense Department of wrongdoing.

The Senate Appropriations Committee’s Democratic members are expected to reject proposed Department of Homeland Security fiscal year 2020 funding bill if $5 billion for southern border wall stays.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture agency looks forward to receiving import documentation through Customs and Border Protection’s International Trade Data System.

The Treasury Department adds two banks to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List in response to Iran’s alleged involvement in missile attacks against Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities.

Through the continued development of automated processes, U.S. Customs and Border Protection foresees the day when paper export manifests will no longer be necessary.

Last-mile freight delivery might involve drivers to act as assemblers, helping set up products like furniture and home appliances. These driver-assemblers have specific skill sets that could never be fully automated.

Boris Blanche, managing director of the International Road Transport Union, believes upskilling, better recruitment practices and semi-autonomous trucking can help address the shortfall of drivers.

New law strengthens U.S. government’s national security oversight of foreign investments in American companies that manufacture “critical” technologies and infrastructure, as well as own airport and seaport properties.

The Express Association of America said additional industry participants in Customs and Border Protection’s Section 321 pilot will “enhance” the agency’s capability to target illicit products.

The Justice Department has asked the express carrier’s lawsuit to be dismissed, stating that it should be up to Congress and not the court to decide if the Export Administration Regulations apply.

The driver appreciation week is celebrated across the country to pay respect to the 3.5 million truckers who haul freight all year round, rain or shine.

The NCBFAA proposes amending the U.S Bankruptcy Code to allow “subrogation” rights for customs brokers who have paid duties to the U.S. government on behalf of a bankrupt importer.

Digitalization and automation are increasing the risk of cyberattacks, say intelligence agencies, but many shipping companies are refusing to act.

BIMCO, ICS, INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO call on charterers, bunker suppliers and nation states to “double their efforts” to ensure a smooth transition to low-sulfur fuel.

Export compliance experts find little new in the Bureau of Industry and Security’s FAQs answers related to the Chinese telecom’s placement on the Entity List and temporary general license.

A Treasury Department official reaffirmed on Sept. 8 the Trump administration’s denial of temporary waivers that previously allowed countries to import Iranian crude oil under U.N. and U.S. sanctions.

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control warns that companies providing bunker services must be careful not to violate the Iran sanctions, but there are exceptions.

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 16 entities and 10 individuals, as well as 11 ships, which it identified as participants in an Iran-controlled “oil-for-terror” shipping scheme.

Data on recorded cargo thefts in the EMEA region shows an alarming increase this year, with it crossing €55 million in the first half of 2019.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control said additional trade regulations will take aim at the Nicaraguan president and his regime for the ongoing use of violence against the country’s people.

The BIS Office of Export Enforcement has “revealed schemes” by Pakistani entities attempting to acquire U.S. technologies to support the country’s nuclear program.

A Hong Kong firm was sanctioned this week by the Office of Foreign Assets Control for its alleged role in the illegal transshipment of U.S. technology to Iran.

Mixed reality smart glasses allow workers to become hands-free with logistics operations, helping them to focus solely on the package at hand.

U.S. companies with business in Russia — even those not engaged in chemical or biological exports — should understand the sanctions to avoid compliance exposure, export compliance experts say.

The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation said it will move forward with the imposition of a second round of trade sanctions against Russia.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaport complex halted the illegal import of Chinese-made firearm parts valued at $378,225.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security has provided a general advisory opinion warning U.S. exporters to use caution when sharing certain technology information in global standards-setting organizations if parties on the Entity List are involved.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America welcomed a recently proposed rule from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that requires customs brokers to have a more complete identification of their importer clients.

The U.S. Commerce Department has added 46 additional overseas affiliates of Chinese telecommunications technology manufacturer Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. to the restrictive Entity List.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security subjects 17 overseas entities to stricter U.S. export licensing controls by adding them to the Entity List.

Small fleets need to fully understand their financial situation, improve awareness of technology and have set processes in place to fluidly scale up the business.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has started making examples of companies that did not take its administrative subpoenas for information involving alleged sanctions violations seriously.

With their vast knowledge of imports, customs brokers see themselves playing an important role in the battle against counterfeit goods.

When designing software for truckers, it is vital for companies to consult drivers at every stage of its development, as apps developed in siloes will only make the lives of truckers more complicated.

Customs and Border Protection has updated its seizure mitigation guidelines involving licensed and non-licensed exports for its officers at the nation’s ports of entry.

PACCAR agreed to a $1.7 million settlement from the U.S. Treasury Department that its European subsidiary, DAT Trucks, illegally engaged in the sale 63 trucks to Iran between 2013 and 2015.

The State, Treasury and Commerce departments are ramping up to implement an Aug. 1 executive order from President Donald Trump that imposes a second round of sanctions against Russia.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the U.S. plans to drop trade sanctions against Venezuela once embattled President Nicolás Maduro is out of office.

Japan’s Cabinet on Aug. 2 approved a measure that will allow the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to impose new licensing policies and procedures on exports and transfers of controlled items to South Korea.

Technology has helped smaller fleets band together to take advantage of discounts, real-time telematics and find loads through digital freight matching platforms.

Chinese billionaire Liu Zhongtian, former president of China Zhongwang Holdings Ltd., was indicted by federal court in Los Angeles for allegedly evading $1.8 billion antidumping and countervailing duties on aluminum shipments.