CUSTOMS SETS CAFES PILOT FOR MAY

HUB GROUP DISTRIBUTION SERVICES NAMES ZAHOUR VP-OPERATIONS    U.S. Customs will begin implementation of a pilot system on May 7 to improve the handling of trucked in-bond cargo entering the United States.
   The system, Customs Automated Forms Entry System or CAFES, will use a redesigned in-bond form with a two-dimensional barcode (PDF-417). This type of barcode, which resembles a checkerboard, is able to contain larger amounts of data than traditional vertical-lined barcodes used for land-border clearance.
   Customs will provide free software to participating shippers to produce the in-bond forms (Customs Form 7512) with the 2-D barcodes. Truckers will carry these forms with them as they transport their shipments to the border. At the border crossing, Customs inspectors will scan these barcodes to verify the shipments with information already in the agency’s system, and to determine whether to let shipment pass or hold it for inspection.
   CAFES will be tested at the ports of Laredo, Texas, and Port Huron, Mich., but Customs at Brownsville, Texas, and DetroIt will also have the capability to scan the new in-bond barcodes.
   “We expect this to be a winner,” said Paul K. Schwartz, director of trade enforcement and control for Customs at a Joint Industry Group meeting in Washington Thursday. He said the agency has received positive feedback about CAFES from both the industry and inspectors.
   The agency said CAFES should help to eliminate some congestion at the border. The pilot is expected to last 60 to 90 days. Then Customs will determine its future use.