CBP Shuts Down ACE Release 4 Truck Manifest Pilot in Blaine, WA
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the port of Blaine, WA has issued a Port (Trade) Information Notice notifying the trade community of the shutdown of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Release 4 Truck Manifest pilot.
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According to the notice, the ACE Release 4 Truck Manifest pilot test, which has been running in Blaine, WA since December 11, 2004, was shut down on the morning of January 3, 2005. The notice states that brokers will soon be seeing entry numbers from their "old" bank of Border Release Advance Screening and Selectivity (BRASS) numbers being used. According to CBP, all systems should be as they were prior to the beginning of the pilot.
CBP Expects ACE Electronic Truck Manifest to Return to Blaine for Second Pilot
In its notice, CBP states that the expectation is that in the future, after system enhancements, the ACE electronic truck manifest will return to Blaine for a second "pilot" test.
Although CBP's notice does not give a reason for the shut down of the pilot, Shippers' NewsWire reports that industry sources have said the system was plagued with technical problems.
Blaine, WA was the first port to pilot ACE Release 4 Truck Manifest and, according to CBP's December Modernization newsletter, 6,279 trucks were processed via the ACE Secure Data Portal in the first week (December 12-19, 2004). CBP has previously stated that the Blaine launch of "e-Manifest: Trucks" would represent the first time ACE would be implemented on a port-wide basis. CBP has also previously stated that up to seven ports are projected to receive ACE over the next few months, including the ports of Buffalo and Champlain, NY; Detroit and Port Huron, MI; Laredo, TX; and Otay Mesa, CA. (See ITT's Online Archives or 12/29/04 and 10/28/04 news, 04122915 and 04102805, for BP summary of CBP's December and October 2004 Modernization newsletters.)
Blaine, WA notice (dated 01/03/05, No 2005-31) availablefromBP via email or fax by emailing documents@brokerpower.com.
American Shipper (dated 01/04/05) www.americanshipper.com.