August 29, 2006

The following article is reprinted from the August, 2006 edition of US Customs and Border Protection’s “ACE Modernization Monthly” newsletter.

The number of electronic manifests (e-Manifests) filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) dramatically increased – nearly 600 percent – in the second quarter of
2006. As of April 2006, CBP was receiving approximately 1,000 e-Manifests per month. In the week of July 12, the number jumped to more than double that per week. Nearly 7,000
e-Manifests were filed in July 2006.

“This significant growth shows the trade community is beginning to see the benefits of using e-Manifests, which will make the transition to the upcoming mandatory policy that much easier,” said Cargo Systems Program Office (CSPO) Executive Director Louis Samenfink. “Truck carriers are encouraged to begin using e-Manifests now to avoid the rush when it becomes mandatory.”

More than 17 percent of shipments at ports utilizing the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) are processed via e-Manifest, and 75 percent of truck cargo entering the United States now passes through an ACE land border port.

The e-Manifest feature is available at all 44 ACE ports, which currently include land border ports in the states of Arizona, California, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Washington.  This fall, ACE will be rolled out in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Parties may submit e-Manifests through the ACE Secure Data Portal, or through a certified Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). To date, nearly 17,000 e-Manifests have been filed, and more than 300 companies are certified to submit e-Manifests via EDI.

CBP plans to complete ACE deployment to all U.S. land border ports in 2007. A mandatory e-Manifest policy for trucks eventually will be enforced at all land border ports, with
implementation beginning on a port-by-port basis. CBP expects to have the mandatory e-Manifest policy in effect at all land border ports by the end of 2007.