January 1, 2008
     

While it has been rumored for quite a while that Customs is planning on doing away with Line Release on the Northern Border, they have changed the way they handle these releases at the arrival stations making it more cumbersome to work with.  In the past, Line Release was envisioned as high volume clearance program created to clear multiple shipments sent from the same origin to the same destination on a daily (or more) basis where the integrity of the cargo was not detrimental to the security of Customs or the U.S.

 

Since 9/11 many changes have occurred on the border, the first being the elimination of more than half of the shipments eligible for line release.  After the Bio-Terrorism Act was created in 2004, any shipments of food, beverages or animal feed were also taken off Line Release by FDA & U.S. Customs.

 

Last year, ACE on the border was developed, really as a more comprehensive way to obtain driver and cargo information prior to arrival of the freight at the border, allowing customs better means to inspect the cargo, driver, etc.  This was a new computer enhancement of a very old system and with the new, problems arose from the old.

 

In the past on a Line Release shipment a small bar coded card was stapled to the front of the commercial invoice.  The driver would present that document to Customs upon arrival at the border, the information would be scanned into a screen by the inspector, verification of the load was made and the driver was sent down the road.  Immediately after that, an entry number was pulled from the broker’s bank of entries and the entry release information was actually printed on either the front side or reverse side of the invoice.  The invoice was then pulled form the exam offices and put into the Brokers’ mail boxes at the Bridge.

 

With the advent of the e-Manifest, more information is transmitted earlier to Customs.  However, the Line Release releasing system differs from the ACE e-Manifest system and created additional and time consuming work for the inspector.  The bank of numbers are still on file and an entry is pulled and matched to an e-manifest, but the invoices are no longer returned to the brokers.  There is no way at this time to match up a shipment with a release.  We have been making entries based on “best guess” but have run into a compliance issue with Customs.  Are we really preparing entries with the right information and values?  Probably not and because of this, the Brokers on the Northern Border are advising their customers that the time has come to gravitate away from Line Release.  In the long run, it will cut down on the amount of time the Brokers spend on trying to come up with the correct values and entries while at the same time insuring that compliance issues are not created between the importer and U.S. Customs.  It is a prudent way of handling a very difficult situation that has been problem in Detroit since last summer and the mandatory use of e-Manifest.  It will also avoid penalties issued to the importer for false, incomplete or non-compliance entries.

 

We are hoping to do away with all line release shipments by February 1^st.  The way to handle all future shipments would be via PAPS which most Line Release importers were using for their non-BRASS entries.  Rather than have the invoices given to the driver and having him show up at the border, a PAPS label will now have to be sent to the broker for preparation of an entry prior to arrival.  We have determined that most users of Line Release have just as many if not more Non Line Release shipments in a given month anyway, and are already familiar with the process.

 

We hope that you can assist us with this conversion and stand available to assist you in any way we can.  If you have any questions or if there is something we can do to help, please do not hesitate to call upon us.

 

We appreciate your assistance and look forward to continue to work with you on your import needs.

 

Thanks again and best regards

Dell Will Customs Brokers Inc