American Shipper reports that antitrust investigators from the U.S. and Europe are coordinating an investigation into possible anticompetitive practices in the international freight forwarding industry. Subpoenas indicated that the investigation was into "ratemaking and surcharge activities." (American Shipper, dated 10/11/07, www.americanshipper.com)
Land Line reports that California's plan to admit only low-emission, company-operated trucks at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach may be delayed and/or altered due to growing opposition from independent truckers. (Land Line, dated 10/01/07, available at http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2007/Oct07/100107/100107-02.htm)
Presstelegram.com reports that a new study shows that the twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles would only lose about 1.2% of their annual container throughput if authorities in San Pedro Bay implement their proposed clean-truck program, which would restrict marine terminal access to trucking companies with the cleanest trucks operated by employee drivers, and is awaiting ratification by both port commissions. (Presstelegram.com, dated 09/18/07, available at http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_6922630?IADID)
The International Herald Tribune reports that the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement signed 18 months ago may have difficulty passing a hostile U.S. Congress. Critics of the FTA argue that Colombia does not merit a trade deal because of murders of Colombian labor leaders, among other things. (IHT, dated 09/10/07, available at http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/09/bloomberg/bxtrade.php)
The Washington Post reports that U.S. manufacturers are increasingly exporting goods that do not meet domestic safety standards, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Among the types of substandard goods exported in 2006 were toys, lighters, fireworks, clothing, chemicals, carpets and pacifiers, which were shipped to Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, Colombia, the Czech Republic and the Philippines. (Washington Post, dated 09/01/07, available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/31/AR2007083101877.html)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted to its Web site a frequently asked question document regarding Automated Commercial Environment Entry Summary, Accounts, and Revenue (ESAR) A1.
The Los Angeles Times reports that counterfeit imports are flooding the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, the busiest in the U.S. and a focal point of enforcement efforts by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which states that counterfeiting and piracy in the Los Angeles area cost businesses $5.2 billion and is responsible for the loss of 106,000 jobs. (LATimes, dated 08/22/07, available at http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ports22aug22,1,2616784.story?ctrack=1&cset=true)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted to its Web site its June 2007 Report to the Trade on the Automated Commercial Environment/International Trade Data System Standard Data Set (SDS). CBP has also posted the ITDS Megamatrix.
The New York Times reports that China is prepared to require that every shipment of food being exported to the U.S. and other countries be inspected for quality by the government, starting September 1, 2007, according to a senior trade official at China's Washington embassy. The official stated that all types of food would be inspected with at least one box in each shipment being checked and each package or shipment would be affixed with a government seal. The official also noted that the Chinese government opposes any mandate to hire independent safety laboratories (to test toy imports), saying that inspection is a country's sole authority. (NYT, dated 08/16/07, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/business/16inspect.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)
At the Automated Commercial Environment Exchange VI conference held July 30-August 1, 2007 in Brooklyn, NY, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials discussed the deployment of ACE Entry Summary, Accounts, and Revenue (ESAR) A1, which is currently scheduled to be deployed on August 25, 20071.