Monday Morning eBriefing

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

It has come to NCBFAA’s attention that some of our members (particularly our smaller members) are encountering attempts by ocean carriers to amend, alter or otherwise deviate from agreed-to terms and conditions in valid service contracts. We understand in some cases, carriers are seeking to cancel existing contracts, as well.

The rules for fumigating imported wood can be confusing. For example, wood packaging (such as pallets, crates, containers) must be heat treated to 56 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes. By contrast, imported lumber must be heat treated to 71 degrees Celsius for 75 minutes.

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:

Every customs broker knows that interacting with Partner Government Agencies (PGAs) can be the most challenging part of their job. The PGA data requirements are often demanding. And, on top of that, there are just so many agencies!

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.

If you haven’t already registered to attend the 49th Annual Conference at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa in beautiful Tucson in Tucson, Arizona, on May 1-4, then what are you waiting for?

The Federal Maritime Commission on Feb. 4 approved an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) asking the industry if a new rule governing demurrage and detention billing practices would be beneficial and should apply to marine terminal operators and NVOCCs in addition to vessel-operating common carriers.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Feb. 1 released Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2203, which contains 215 ABI records and 46 harmonized tariff records.

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:

On Jan. 14, NCBFAA President Jan Fields formally requested that Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator Kevin Shea allow the trade to continue using the Document Image System (DIS) to upload phytosanitary certificates as an alternative to providing a paper document.

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 Feb. 4.

Forwarders spend a good deal of energy explaining export compliance responsibilities to the less educated exporters, only to hear that “you are the only forwarder who is asking me for this information.” The association, in response, provides members an NCBFAA branded USPPI Responsibility Information Sheet as a tool that can be forwarded to or handed out to your export customers.

NCBFAA is happy to announce that once again we will be offering a $5,000 scholarship to help future members of our industry achieve their goal in furthering their education! This scholarship, provided generously by Roanoke Insurance Group Inc., helps offset the costs students accrue while learning the skills they'll need to succeed in a career in Customs Brokerage, Freight Forwarding or related field, such as international trade. This year’s scholarship winner will be announced during the upcoming 49th Annual Conference at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa in beautiful Tucson in Tucson, Arizona, on May 1-4.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) met in both open and closed session on Jan. 27 to be briefed on efforts to address detention and demurrage and improve supply chain data transparency.

The NCBFAA Export Compliance Sub-Committee has recently completed a thorough review of the SLI model and has updated it to reflect certain regulatory changes.

NCBFAA members are asking questions regarding the April 2022 Customs Brokers Exam and the notice posted on CBP’s website that calls for Title 19, Code of Federal Regulations (2021 Revised as of April 1, 2021) (Parts 1 to Part 199) (CFR 0-140) (CFR 141-199).

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:

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

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.