WASHINGTON — The number of entries in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) has skyrocketed seven-times over in the last eight months, reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

A record $510.6 million in duties and fees was collected last month by CBP through the program’s monthly payment feature. This represents about 25 percent of total duties and fees collected by CBP.

“ACE collections jumped more than $100 million in the April reporting period and now top $4 billion since the first monthly payment was made in July 2004,” said Louis Samenfink, executive director, CBP Cargo Systems Program Office. “This is one more example of how ACE is building momentum. I encourage members of the trade community to join the more than 2,000 importers, brokers and carriers who have established ACE accounts, and find out more about the benefits of using the ACE monthly statement and payment capabilities.”

ACE is the commercial trade processing system where importers and brokers are paying duties and fees monthly, instead of on a transaction-per-transaction basis. ACE monthly statements can also streamline accounting and report processing, and provide an electronic record to trace import activities.

ACE trade benefits include:

Monthly payment of duties and fees instead of on a transaction-per-transaction basis; duty payments on the 15th working day of the month for more than 45 days of interest free financial float; online tracking of trade activities through customized account views access to more than 60 downloadable reports.

Starting next week, CBP is moving ahead with Phase Four enforcement of the e-manifest reporting system part of ACE.

Non-ACE carriers that arrive at ACE-operational border crossings will no longer be able to rely on a copy of a fax transmission to a customs broker in order to indicate an attempt to comply with the Trade Act’s advance cargo information rules.

If CBP has not received advance PAPS cargo information from the broker when the truck arrives, the truck will not be allowed to proceed.