Getting to know you

   U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the leadership of Commissioner Alan Bersin, wants to get to know the nation’s top shippers a whole lot better, not to make their lives difficult at the border, but to create a more customer-friendly atmosphere.
   For years, Customs — no matter where in the world — has been viewed as something to dread, an obstacle if you will to facilitating international trade flows. The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks certainly didn’t help matters, fostering concerns among the general public and reactionary lawmakers that any freight shipment could harbor a bomb. 
   Post 9/11 legislation required CBP to strengthen its oversight of goods moving across the border. CBP should be applauded for working closely with shippers to develop regulations that have largely kept trade flowing. Together, the agency and industry have done a remarkable job at curtailing illicit shipments that may harm Americans if allowed into the wrong hands.
   Many of the largest U.S. importers and exporters have implemented Customs-approved security-enhancing programs, such as the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and Importer Self-Assessments, within their operations with promises of fewer inspections and detainments of their freight. Yet many still have the feeling they’re as much a target of CBP inspectors as less scrupulous shippers.
   The added security measures came at a price – extra compliance costs for businesses and government neglect for finding new ways to reduce red tape at the border.
   However, as Associate Editor Eric Kulisch explains in this issue of American Shipper, CBP has taken significant steps this past year to make the cargo release process simpler and more streamlined for trusted shippers.
   Yet the work has only just begun. Trade supporters are worried that without Bersin at the helm all this momentum could quickly fade (see our Comments and Letters section). Barring a miracle, his appointment will expire at the end of 2011 because of Senate inaction.
   Beyond the politics in Washington, however, there is a way for shippers and their vendors to make sure they benefit from all the pending changes. As these new programs evolve, the companies that are CBP’s trusted partners on security and compliance will move to the head of the line in terms of accruing the benefits of expedited processing. Shippers should make every effort to develop strategic compliance and security plans, and apply to be included in CBP’s partnership programs. 
   While Customs must never let its guard down to scheming terrorist and criminals, by working together with the country’s trusted shippers it can concentrate its law enforcement on those who unfairly disregard trade regulations and aim to do harm. Companies that provide advance information and otherwise make CBP’s job easier will find their entries handled more expeditiously and logistics providers who do the same will find more customers because meeting CBP’s standards is the new housekeeping seal of approval for doing business. – Chris Gillis