The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) ended its 100% truck inspections at midnight Oct. 13 for "certain ports of entry" on the southern border, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in an Oct. 16 email. The inspections affected the "Laredo-Colombia Solidarity Bridge, as well as the ports of Ysleta and Marcelino Serna, and the Bridge of the Americas." The inspections began Oct. 12 (see 2310120058). The inspections also included the Tornillo Port (see 2310130059).
Noah Garfinkel
Noah Garfinkel, Assistant Editor, is a reporter for International Trade Today. Noah joined Warren Communication News in early 2023 covering customs, the Federal Maritime Commission and export controls. Noah’s background is in breaking news, reporting and research. Noah most recently worked for a year with Axios as a part of a fellowship program. Noah is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. in History.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is "at this time" conducting "enhanced commercial vehicle safety inspections at the Bridge of the Americas in El Paso, Tornillo Port of Entry (POE) in El Paso County, Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge in El Paso and the Colombia Bridge in Laredo, as those vehicles cross into Texas, theTexas DPS said in an emailed statement on Oct. 13.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2311 on Oct. 12, containing 12,260 ABI records and 2,452 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records. This update includes 2023 Cotton Fee amendments, fixing an issue with an earlier HSU (see 2309290044), as well as updates to statistical reporting numbers that were amended since the last assessment adjustment in 2022, CBP said in a Oct. 13 CSMS message.
The Harmonized Tariff Schedule updates for fees on pecans and Christmas trees won't be active before ACE Collections goes live on Nov. 4, CBP said in a CSMS message. Once that happens, the HTS updates for pecan and Christmas tree fees will be "implemented and available" on Nov. 5. The updated fees apply to in-shell pecans, shelled pecans, Douglas fir Christmas trees, other fir Christmas trees, and other evergreen Christmas trees.
The World Customs Organization's Harmonized System Committee will extend its customary five-year review cycle by an additional year, the WCO said in a press release on Oct. 12. This means that the next version of the Harmonized System will be implemented on Jan. 1, 2028.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has begun truck inspections at its facility outside of the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity Bridge in Laredo, Texas, according to a CBP email released by the Laredo Licensed U.S. Customs Brokers Association. CBP said the inspections are expected to remain in place until further notice and delays are expected, according to the LLUSCBA.
The European Commission will not extend the legal framework that exempts liner shipping from EU antitrust rules, it said in an announcement Oct. 10. The commission said the antitrust rules, known as the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (CBER), "no longer promotes competition in the shipping sector" and will expire on April 25, 2024.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
CBP has released its Oct. 11 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 57, No. 37), which includes the following ruling action: