TORONTO, (Oct. 7, 2004) — The Ontario Trucking Association is reminding carriers using the Pre-Arrival Processing System (PAPS), that they must arrive at the U.S. port of entry where the PAPS was sent. Carriers arriving at a different port will experience difficulties because U.S. Customs will not have a record of the shipment in their computer system, the OTA says.

A typical example of where this occurs is when the driver has sent his paper work to Detroit, but decides to cross the border at Port Huron. Since Detroit and Port Huron are separate ports of entry there would be no record of the shipment in Customs computers when the truck arrives at Port Huron. Trucks crossing at Lewiston and Buffalo will not experience the same problems, because both crossings are classified under the Port of Buffalo, however it would be beneficial for carriers to indicate to their U.S. Customs brokers if a change were to be made in this case, says the trucking association.

One of the requirements of the U.S. Trade Act’s Advanced Electronic Presentation of Cargo Information rule will be for carriers to indicate to U.S. Customs and Border Protection in their PAPS transmission “the scheduled date and time of arrival of the truck at the first port of entry in the United States.”

Go to the OTA website (www.ontruck.org/info/information/border-ustrade.php) or search Today’s Trucking’s online news archives for more information of the Advanced Electronic Presentation of Cargo Information requirements, which go into effect at many land ports beginning on November 15, 2004.