Monday Morning eBriefing

The NCBFAA Transportation Committee’s Logistics Subcommittee is regularly collecting data on the nation’s rail delays and port congestion that are impacting the supply chain and your business operations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on March 18 announced a partnership with the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) to enhance access to a 49-acre “pop up” site to accept either dry agricultural or refrigerated containers for temporary storage at NWSA in Seattle to reduce operational hurdles and costs, making it so they can more quickly be loaded on ships at the export terminals.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) on March 14 announced that it is providing an additional 30-days for public comment on the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on Demurrage and Detention Billing Requirements (Docket No. 22-04) issued last month.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome the following members who have recently joined our association:

The Biden Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on March 15 announced the launch of a major supply chain initiative, Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW), to help speed up delivery times and reduce consumer costs.

We are now under two months away from NCBFAA’s 49th Annual Conference in Tucson, Arizona, on May 1-4. Register today, so you don’t miss out on the most important and informative event of the year for our industry.

Former and current NCBFAA staff and industry colleagues will remember Kenneth Bargteil, a 35-year customs brokerage industry veteran, for his unwavering drive to raise the status and professionalism of both small and large association members within the U.S. supply chain.

The NCBFAA Educational Institute (NEI) is proud to announce that Travis Lintelman, an export compliance specialist with UPS, has been awarded this year’s NEI CES Scholarship.

Our Congressional Members may be overwhelmed by the demands of the day, but that doesn’t mean NCBFAA members should delay personally contacting these lawmakers to let them know just how important the Customs Business Fairness Act (CBFA) (H.R. 4186) is to our industry and the urgency to make this legislation permanent in the U.S. Bankruptcy Law.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told members of the trade during an ACE biweekly call on March 17 that the agency is putting a hold on all goods covered by the recently announced U.S. sanctions against Russia.

NCBFAA expresses its sincerest condolences to the family and colleagues of Edward S. Kaplan, president of Revere, Massachusetts-based OCEANAIR, Inc., who passed away March 14. He was 75.

Cyber incidents are on the rise, and they test the resiliency of every American business, especially those involved in international trade like customs brokers and freight forwarders.

Here is a summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg:

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have continued to postpone their “Container Dwell Fee,” and said they will reconsider its possible imposition on March 25.

Here is a summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is making three enhancements to its debt management processes to increase transparency and access to information for debtors and sureties.

The NCBFAA Transportation Committee’s Logistics Subcommittee is regularly collecting data on the nation’s rail delays and port congestion that are impacting the supply chain and your business operations.

NCBFAA on March 10 responded to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice requesting comments regarding methods to prevent imports into the U.S. of goods mined, produced, and manufactured in China using forced labor, especially from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The DHS request for comments was facilitated by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and the U.S. government’s Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF).

Here is a summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg:

For imported merchandise where Internal Revenue Tax (IRT) was paid to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), any related IRT drawback claim calculations must reflect IRT refunds paid by the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), CBP said.