OTTAWA, Ont. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is taking the next step with implementation of the U.S. Trade Act and will begin enforcing measures of Phase Four of the Act on May 15.

In Phase Four, carriers who are not participating in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) will no longer be able to rely on a copy of a fax transmission to a customs broker to indicate an attempt to comply with the Trade Act’s advance cargo information rules. If CBP has not received advance cargo information from the broker when the truck arrives, the truck will not be allowed to proceed.

This policy is being put into place at ACE-implemented ports, most notably Blaine, Pembina, and the Blue Water and Ambassador bridges, and surrounding, smaller ports, on May 15. It will be implemented at other ports 30 days after the date ACE was deployed and operational.

“I profess that the move to implement Phase Four enforcement, which had been delayed in response to concerns raised by the trucking industry, makes carriers uneasy,” said David Bradley, CEO of the Canadian Trucking Alliance. “Cross-border carriers are coping with a tremendous amount of change these days, and all the while trying to deal with sky-rocketing fuel prices and uncertainty over U.S. requirements for hazardous materials background checks.”

“At the same time, CTA has been assured by CBP that compliance with the Trade Act is extremely high, and that we should not expect a spate of problems at ACE-implemented ports on May 15,” he continued. “I do understand the need for CBP to enforce the advance cargo information requirements of the Trade Act, so we will watch the situation closely and bring forward issues as they arise.”

The full details of Phase Four enforcement can be found at: www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/import/communications_to_trade/advance_info/phase4_implement.xml