Electronic manifests through the ACE Truck Manifest System will be required by carriers, beginning October 16, at United States/Canadian border entries in Maine and Minnesota, according to a notice published in the Federal Register July 18.
The Bureau of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), in conjunction with the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, has now tested the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system at all of the US/Canada and US/Mexico land ports of entry, with the exception of Alaska. CBP expects to announce testing for Alaska in a future notice.
The CBP earlier designated the ACE system as the approved interchange and announced it would be phased in by groups of ports of entry:
•October 27, 2006, CBP identified all land border ports in the states of Washington and Arizona and the ports of Pembina, Neche, Walhalla, Maida, Hannah, Sarles, and Hansboro in North Dakota as the first group of ports where use of the system was mandated 90 days after the announcement.
•January 19, 2007, after 90 days, use of ACE became mandatory at all land border ports in the states of California, Texas and New Mexico.
•February 23, 2007, after 90 days, the ACE Truck Manifest System became mandatory at all land border ports in Michigan and New York.
•April 13, 2007, after 90 days, the system became mandatory at all land border ports in Vermont and New Hampshire, and at the land border ports in North Dakota at which ACE had not been required by any previous notice.
•May 8, 2007, after 90 days, the ACE Truck Manifest System will be mandatory at all land border ports in the states of Idaho and Montana.
Although other systems that have been deemed acceptable by CBP for transmitting advance truck manifest data will continue to operate and may still be used in the normal course of business for purposes other than transmitting advance truck manifest data, use of systems other than ACE will no longer satisfy advance electronic cargo information requirements at the ports of entry after the dates announced.