The planned new port metrics program should include information on loading and unloading operations with consideration of ship and berth size, among other things, said a group of trade associations representing various industries involved in international trade in a Jan. 14 letter (here). The letter, addressed to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, includes advice on "key metrics" that should be included within the Bureau of Transportation Statistics working group effort to develop the measures. The metrics can help “jump-start” private efforts to bolster efficiency and decrease congestion at U.S. ports brought on largely by big container ships, a recent surge of “very large scale” operating alliances between containership owners, evolving critical equipment procedures, and an aging port infrastructure, said the groups.
Nineteen trade associations urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to schedule a vote for the customs reauthorization bill -- the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (H.R. 644) -- in a Jan. 15 letter (here). After the House passed the legislation (see 1512110029), the bill has sat idle in the Senate and no vote is scheduled, a McConnell spokeswoman said on Jan. 19. “We have worked for over a decade to bring this long-overdue legislation to passage, and so we urge you to quickly schedule a vote on the conference report,” the letter reads. If binding, the legislation would save money for U.S. businesses and consumers by modernizing customs laws and procedures to keep up with business trends and increase efficiency, the groups said.
A.N. Deringer hired Mark Hirzel, previously with DHL Global Forwarding (see 1508260023) and current president of the Los Angeles Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association, as L.A. District Manager, said A.N. Deringer in a news release.
A new Broker Regulations Working Group will make use of a number lessons learned through past initiatives focused on the regulatory changes for customs brokers, said Cindy Allen during the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) meeting on Jan. 13. Allen, CEO of Trade Force Multiplier, expects the working group's recommendations to be the "last step in the process." The group will "build on" the efforts of recent COACs to figure out where there's agreement and challenges, she said. The groups will also serve as a model for future discussions involving other roles within the supply chain, she said.
UPS will give a delivery guarantee when the company is used as the customs broker in several categories of shipments between the U.S. and Mexico, said UPS in a news release (here). The company also created a "new, single national Power of Attorney in Mexico that today covers 27 ports of entry so shippers have less paperwork for more efficient customs clearance into the country," it said. The new offerings are meant to strengthen UPS's "cross-border services to help U.S. exporters capture new opportunities in Mexico, and Mexican exporters to increase trade with the U.S.," it said. There's been about a 20 percent increase in customer requests for U.S.-Mexico cross-border movements, said Carlos Cubias, vice president of the UPS center of excellence for U.S.-Mexico trade.
Major concerns persist among the trade community about readiness for the fast-approaching Feb. 28 mandatory use date for Automated Commercial Environment entry summary and cargo release. Despite the reprieve granted by CBP when it delayed the deadline from Nov. 1, the ACE adoption rate remains low. A constant stream of programming tweaks from CBP has made it impossible to finalize software, and as-yet-undeployed capabilities make it difficult even for some filers that want to file in ACE to make the switch to the new system, said several involved in implementation from the industry side in recent interviews.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America remains worried about the number of software updates related to the Automated Commercial Environment so close to the mandatory use date, it said in a "open letter" to importers and exporters on Jan. 8 (here). Just as CBP decided to push back some of the mandatory use dates for ACE in response to readiness concerns for the system (see 1509010017), "we face the same decision now," said the trade group. The agency must immediately cease all software changes for processes that will be required in ACE as of Feb. 28, said the association.
A new Broker Regulations working group will consider "at least four categories" as it works to develop recommendations for changes to CBP regulations for customs brokers (see 1601060028), said CBP in an issue paper (here) posted ahead of Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) meeting on Jan. 13. Those issues are: permits, data and reporting, management of operations, and fees. The broker regulations issue paper focuses on the Broker Regulations Working Group that will. The working group will include "will include participants from the trade community" and "CBP representatives, including Centers of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) leadership, Office of Field Operations (OFO), the Office of Administration (OA) and the Office of International Trade (OT)," it said. The first meeting for the group is set for Jan. 19-20 in Alexandria, Virginia and finalized recommendations are expected by March, ahead of the April COAC meeting, it said.
CBP posted its agenda and some other agency documents for the upcoming Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) meeting on Jan. 13. Among the posted items is a subcommittee status report from the Office of Trade Relations (here). The COAC will form a new working group to make recommendations for customs broker regulations updates and to "promote transparency and collaboration among stakeholders with equities in 19 CFR 111," said CBP in the report. "With these recommendations, CBP will publish" a notice "describing the anticipated changes and solicit comments." The agenda is (here).
CBP plans to revoke hundreds of customs broker licenses by operation of law, without prejudice, for failure to file the 2015 triennial status report and applicable fee, it said in a notice (here). CBP’s list includes the broker name (individual or company), license number, and port name associated with the licenses being revoked.