WASHINGTON — As U.S. Customs had previously proposed, it will allow truck carriers without Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Truck Carrier Accounts to use third parties to transmit truck manifest information on their behalf via electronic data interchange (EDI) messaging.

Truck carriers electing to use a third party to submit manifest information to CBP must possess a valid Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) from the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, a notice published in the Federal Register states. Those who elect to use this transmission method will not have access to operational data and will not receive status messages on ACE transactions, nor will they have access to integrated Account data from multiple system sources.

These truck carriers will be able to obtain release of their cargo, crew, conveyances, and equipment via EDI messaging back to the transmitter of the information. By making these changes, CBP is opening the system to parties previously ineligible to participate. Truck carriers will be able to participate in ACE through the use of a third party transmitter starting March 29, 2006.

However, if the third party transmitting the truck manifest information to CBP does not use EDI, but instead wishes to use the ACE portal, the truck carrier who is submitting that information to the third party must have an ACE Truck Carrier Account .