The U.S. Customs & Border Patrol has
wrapped up installations of the Automated Commercial Environment
(ACE) in Texas.
All 13 land border ports in the Lone
Star state, as well as those in Santa Teresa and Columbus, N.M.
will process cargo through ACE.
The completion of the Texas
deployment clusters brings the total number of ACE ports to 46,
stretching across the northern and southern borders through the
states of Washington, Arizona, North Dakota, Minnesota,
Michigan, and now Texas and New Mexico.
“The transition to ACE in Texas and
New Mexico is huge, more than half of our operations on the
southern land border, stretching nearly 1,500 miles,” said Cargo
Systems Program Office Executive Director Louis Samenfink.
“Making the switch to ACE improves border security and
facilitates legitimate trade, paving the way for a smooth
transition when e-Manifest becomes mandatory later this year.”
The number of trucks filing
electronic manifests (e-Manifests) at ACE ports continues to
increase on both the southern and northern borders. ABF Freight
System, Inc. of Fort Smith, Ark. is using the e-Manifest
capability for all of its Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) shipments
crossing at the port of Blaine, Wash. including Border Release
Advanced Screening and Selectivity (BRASS), hazardous materials
(HAZMAT), and Section 321 releases (merchandise valued under
$200).
“Since the first of the year, we’ve
been processing e-Manifests with 100 percent success,” said ABF
Administration and Customs Compliance Manager Jevon Jamieson.
“The drivers really like the system and the time it saves them.
I intend to move ACE into our Winnipeg facility and foresee
immediate success.”
The Automated Commercial Environment
is a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection system designed to
facilitate legitimate trade while enhancing border security. ACE
will improve the collection, sharing, and processing of
information submitted to CBP and government agencies
participating in ACE.
The ACE program is a part of the CBP
modernization effort to expand the use of state-of-the-art
technology and increase information sharing among government
agencies. Ultimately, this could mean you only have to file in
one place, electronically, for all border crossing requirements
for all ACE participating government agencies!
Don’t be left behind, waiting in
line, get on board now with ACE. Eventually, e-Manifests will
become mandatory. The electronic manifest capability is
currently available at a growing number of land border ports. At
participating ports, you can file e-Manifests and:
•Reduce your port processing time.
•Electronically store trip
information.
•Reduce errors.
•Submit manifest and mandatory
advance cargo information, including information about in-bond
cargo, all in one filing.
•Use one system for your in-bound
filings, with more capabilities to come.
•Use the ACE Secure Data Portal web
site to electronically view the status of your shipment, trip,
conveyance, crew, and equipment, including in-bond cargo
movements.
ACE carriers benefit from the
following:
•Reduced processing time. Send your
manifests electronically and speed processing time at the port.
CBP officers will have entry and manifest data before arrival,
enabling you to move legitimate trade across the border faster.
•Ability to store information in
ACE. Store conveyance, equipment, and crew details in your ACE
account to eliminate entering the same data twice. By storing
your information in ACE, you can save valuable time. Stored data
can also be accessed when filing via Electronic Data Interchange
(EDI) messages.
•Broker download. Use the broker
download feature to send shipment data to entry filers. This
data can be used by the entry filer to prepare entries that will
match the manifest records.
•Use one system. File manifest and
advance cargo information all on one system. Existing
entry/release processes supported by ACE include: the
Pre-Arrival Processing System (PAPS), Border Release Advanced
Selectivity System (BRASS), In-bond processing, and Section 321
processing, as well as the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program.
Choose the best option for your
company to participate in ACE and start taking advantage of the
benefits by filing e-Manifests today via:
•The ACE Secure Data Portal.
•A service provider with an ACE
portal account.
•A direct EDI link.
•A combination of ACE and EDI (Send
company and cargo information via EDI, and crew, conveyance, and
equipment information through the ACE Secure Data Portal).
ACE enrollment
Step 1: Fill out the ACE
application. The application can be downloaded from
www.cbp.gov/modernization, under ACE Application
Information, or send an e-mail to
ACENOW@dhs.gov and one
will be sent to you.
Step 2: Mail your ACE application to
CBP at the following address:
ACE Applications Cargo Systems, U.S.
Customs and Border Protection, 7681 Boston Blvd., Springfield,
VA 22153
