WASHINGTON — Barring yet another 11th hour postponement, US Customs’ Phase Four enforcement of the Truck Trade Act will take effect tomorrow, June 15, 2006.

The latest Advance Electronic Cargo Information rules for trucks entering Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) ports were supposed to be implemented last month, on May 15, 2006, but was delayed temporarily for the second time because of “unexpected programming difficulties with the e-manifest system.

Phase Four was originally supposed to kick in this past February. CBP, at the urging of the Canadian trucking Alliance, agreed to delay enforcement at that time in an attempt to push more carriers to sign onto the electronic truck manifest component of ACE.

Under the Act, any carrier arriving at a US port of entry where the US customs broker has not transmitted advance cargo information (PAPS, QP) to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) one hour prior to the time of arrival will not be permitted to enter.

Currently, truckers that arrive at the border before CBP has received the cargo information are being referred to secondary — with no penalty — if the officer deems that the information was sent to a broker beforehand. Now, under Phase Four, that option would be restricted only to carriers that are ACE e-manifest participants.

CBP say it needed the extra time to complete programming to enable ACE recognition of FAST ID cards, as well as support the ability of third-party service providers to transmit an electronic manifest via ACE.

Questions via E-mail may be directed to the group mailbox at Manifest.Branch@dhs.gov. Additional information can be found at CBP’s website linked below.