ACAS Final Rules Need to be Both Flexible and Sufficient, Stakeholders Say
CBP should ensure flexible, sufficient data transmission and internal harmonization to ensure the Air Cargo Advance Screening program is successful, industry stakeholders told members of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security April 11. CBP recently announced it's formalizing requirements for ACAS and will extend the pilot (see 13040235).
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Mike Mullen, President of the Express Association of America, said one of the program’s successes has been CBP’s “willingness to accept the information on a shipment basis, separated from the data on the conveyance that will bring the shipment to the United States.” CBP recently indicated it will require the shipment data to be linked to the conveyance data, Mullen said in his prepared statement. That plan is “a real step backward” that the express industry opposes, he said.
Mullen also stressed the importance of flexibility in ACAS, including allowing data to be submitted through various formats and allowing various operational requirements to make room for the variety of express businesses. “Data can be transmitted by multiple partners, depending on who may be in possession of the shipment data. No specific time limit is necessary, as long as data can be transmitted in raw form as soon as available,” he said.
While express carriers may have proved that transmitting limited information on a shipment allows CBP to adequately assess risk, additional analysis is needed for those in the airforwarder community, said Airforwarders Association Executive Director Brandon Fried in his statement. “We urge that CBP not move to rulemaking until additional airforwarders have the opportunity to participate in the pilot at the operational level.” Fried also said the U.S. should harmonize regulations with its international partners: “Attaining a global solution will allow international trade partners to share data globally and allow for both the optimization of the supply chain and a robust global risk assessment of cargo.”