U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted a May 2012 package of test questions for Automated Export System participants to be transmitted to CBP within an agreed upon time frame for operational certification. The long test is available here, the short test here. Such tests must be taken by self-programming exporters, brokers, forwarding agents, vendors and service centers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection released the following documents ahead of the May 22, 2012 Commercial Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting scheduled for Savannah, Georgia:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is considering ways to leverage Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) and offer a simplified entry process to ACAS participants by integrating with the Simplified Entry initiative, said CBP Acting Commissioner David Aguilar during testimony before a House May 17 hearing on Customs issues .
May 22 U.S.-China Business Council panel on Current Issues in US-China Trade, 8:30 am, Davis Wright Tremaine, Seattle, WA -- https://www.uschina.org/info/programs/
The "Basic Guide to Exporting" by the National Custom Brokers and Forwarders Association of America is now available as an e-book, it said. The reference book, with more than 40,000 copies now in circulation, can be downloaded to any e-book reader for about $7, it said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection must be aware of the limits of what customs brokers can provide to CBP, though there are several ways brokers can work with CBP to further the importing process, according to written testimony from Darrell Sekin, president of the National Customs Brokers and Forwards Association of America. Sekin is scheduled to testify May 17 before the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee during a hearing on Supporting Economic Growth and Job Creation through Customs Trade Modernization, Facilitation, and Enforcement.
The National Custom Brokers and Forwarders Association of America plans to reconstitute its NCBFAA Educational Institute (NEI), said NEI Chairman Ken Bargteil. Those interested in boosting the continuing education and the enhancement of professionalism and expertise of brokers and forwarders should provide their name, NCBFAA area, company name, job title, email and postal address, office and cell phone numbers. NCBFAA also said they should indicate their areas of interests: CCS and/or CES; and Subcommittee preference: Content, Administration, Policy. Responses should be sent to memb@ncbfaa.org. The NCBFAA board also added 22 members; the list is here. It also announced its 2012 committee roster (here).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted an updated version of its spreadsheet of ACE ESAR A2.2 (Initial Entry Types) programming issues.
May 13-16 Congress and Expo of the Federation of Freight Forwarders, Logistics Operators and Cargo Agents of Latin America and the Caribbean (ALACAT), Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio -- http://www.alacat2012.org/
The Air Forwarders Association (AfA) is working on Capitol Hill with members of the House transportation Highway bill conference committee to voice concern over whether forwarders should be subject to new bonding requirements during the truck shipment of goods with a prior or subsequent air movement or domestic/trans-border all truck shipments, said AfA. Airforwarders are exempt from bonding requirements in this respect, but language in the Senate transportation bill would force a $100,000 surety bond on airforwarders and customs brokers when moving these shipments, said the association.