[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 50 (Thursday, March 15, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12181-12182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4773]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Bureau of Customs and Border Protection


Automated Commercial Environment (ACE): Ability of Third Parties 
To Submit Manifest Information on Behalf of Truck Carriers Via the ACE 
Secure Data Portal in the Test of the ACE Truck Manifest System

AGENCY: Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION: General notice.

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SUMMARY: This document announces that truck carriers participating in 
the ACE Truck Manifest Test and electing to use third parties to submit 
manifest information to the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection 
(CBP) via the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Secure Data Portal 
are no longer required to have ACE portal accounts. Thus, truck 
carriers without ACE portal accounts, while participating in the test 
of the ACE truck manifest system, may now use third parties (such as 
Customs brokers or other truck carriers) with ACE portal accounts to 
electronically transmit truck manifest information, via the ACE portal, 
on their behalf.

DATES: Truck carriers participating in the ACE Truck Manifest Test 
without ACE portal accounts may use third parties with ACE portal 
accounts to electronically transmit truck manifest information via the 
ACE portal, on their behalf, beginning March 15, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. James Swanson, via e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On February 4, 2004 and September 13, 2004, CBP published general 
notices in the Federal Register (69 FR 55167 and 69 FR 5360) announcing 
a test, in conjunction with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration (FMCSA), allowing participating truck carriers to 
transmit electronic manifest data in ACE, including advance cargo 
information as required by section 343(a) of the Trade Act of 2002, as 
amended by the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. The 
advance cargo information requirements are detailed in the final rule 
published in the Federal Register at 68 FR 68140 on December 5, 2003. 
Truck carriers participating in the test opened up Truck Carrier 
[Portal] Accounts which provided them with the ability to 
electronically transmit truck manifest data and obtain release of their 
cargo, crew, conveyances, and equipment via the ACE Portal or 
electronic data interchange (EDI) messaging.
    In the September 13, 2004, notice, CBP stated that, in order to be 
eligible for participation in this test, a carrier must have:
    1. Submitted an application (i.e., statement of intent to establish 
an ACE [Portal] Account and to participate in the testing of electronic 
truck manifest functionality) as set forth in the February 4, 2004, 
notice;

[[Page 12182]]

    2. Provided a Standard Carrier Alpha Code(s) (SCAC); and
    3. Provided the name, address, and e-mail of a point of contact to 
receive further information.
    In addition, the notice provided that participants intending to use 
the ACE Secure Data Portal as the means to file the manifest must 
submit a statement certifying the ability to connect to the Internet. 
Participants intending to use an EDI interface are required to first 
test their ability to send and receive electronic messages in either 
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X12 or United Nations/
Directories for Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, 
Commerce and Transport (UN/EDIFACT) format with CBP. The September 13, 
2004, notice indicated that acceptance into this test does not 
guarantee eligibility for, or acceptance into, future technical tests.
    Subsequently, in a Federal Register notice published on March 29, 
2006 (71 FR 15756), CBP announced a change advising truck carriers that 
they were no longer required to open ACE Truck Carrier [Portal] 
Accounts to participate in the ACE test. Specifically, truck carriers 
were advised that they could elect to use a third party to submit 
electronic manifest information to CBP via EDI. Truck carriers 
participating in this fashion would not have access to operational data 
and would not receive status messages on ACE Accounts, nor would they 
have access to integrated Account data from multiple system sources. 
These truck carriers would be able to obtain release of their cargo, 
crew, conveyances, and equipment via EDI messaging back to the 
transmitter of the information. A truck carrier using a third party to 
transmit via EDI cargo, crew, conveyance and equipment information to 
CBP would be required to have a Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC). Any 
truck carrier with a SCAC could arrange to have a third party transmit 
manifest information to CBP via EDI consistent with the requirements of 
the ACE Truck Manifest Test. Due to limited functionality available via 
the portal at that time, truck carriers were advised that if they 
elected to use a third party to transmit the truck manifest information 
to CBP via the ACE portal (rather than EDI), the truck carrier who is 
submitting that information to the third party (for transmission to 
CBP) would be required to have an ACE Truck Carrier Account as 
described in the February 4, 2004, notice. In clarification of the 
March 29, 2006, notice, if a truck carrier elects to use a third party 
to transmit the truck manifest information to CBP via EDI, the truck 
carrier would need to have a non-portal account.

Implementation

    Since the publication of the March 29, 2006, notice, additional 
functionality has been deployed in the ACE portal so that a party with 
an ACE portal account now has the ability to transmit the manifest 
information via the ACE portal on behalf of other truck carriers. As a 
result, CBP announces in this document that truck carriers 
participating in the ACE Truck Manifest Test and electing to use a 
third party to submit manifest information to CBP via the ACE portal 
are no longer required to have ACE portal accounts as previously set 
forth in the March 29, 2006, notice.
    By making this change, CBP is opening the ACE Truck Manifest Test 
to parties previously ineligible to participate. Truck carriers who do 
not have ACE portal accounts and who elect to use third parties to 
submit manifest information to CBP will no longer be restricted to 
electronic data interchange (EDI) messaging only.
    Any party, whether a truck carrier or other entity, planning to 
transmit electronic truck manifest information on behalf of other truck 
carriers must establish or have established an ACE portal account. 
Interested parties must submit an application as set forth in the 
February 4, 2004, notice. Eligibility requirements specified in that 
notice include providing CBP with a Standard Carrier Alpha Code(s) 
(SCAC), if applicable, and providing the name, address, and e-mail of a 
point of contact to receive further information. Current portal truck 
carrier accounts wishing to transmit a manifest on behalf of another 
carrier will be able to do so through their existing accounts.
    Carriers who use a third party to transmit manifest information 
will not have access to their manifest data unless they establish their 
own ACE Secure Data Portal Accounts. Truck carriers who elect to use 
the third party transmitter method will not receive status messages on 
ACE transactions. Those messages will be provided to the party 
transmitting the manifest information. Carriers without portal accounts 
who use a third party to transmit manifest information will need to 
have a non-portal account.

Previous Notices Continue To Be Applicable

    All of the other aspects of the ACE Truck Manifest Test as set 
forth in the September 13, 2004, notice (69 FR 55167), as modified by 
the general notice published in the Federal Register (70 FR 13514) on 
March 21, 2005, continue to be applicable. The March 21, 2005, notice 
clarified that all relevant data elements are required to be submitted 
in the automated truck manifest submission. All of the aspects of the 
February 4, 2004, notice (69 FR 5360) also continue to be applicable, 
except as revised in this notice.

    Dated: March 5, 2007.
Jayson P. Ahern,
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations.
[FR Doc. E7-4773 Filed 3-14-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-14-P