Con-way Freight will be testing a new electronic border filing program from Descartes Systems Group, Descartes has announced. The Advance Commercial Information (ACI) Highway system is in the pilot phase. It is being developed to allow fleets to comply with new regulations set for 2010 by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which mandates that electronic manifests be filed prior to shipments entering Canada via ground transportation.
“We are pleased to be participating with Descartes and the working group members to improve and validate this platform as the standard for electronic trade security filings enabling more efficient cross-border trade between the U.S. and Canada,” said Melissa Mathew, manager of customs compliance for Con-way Freight.
Descartes’ ACI is part of its GLN Customs Filing & Compliance suite of products. Con-way has been working with Descartes as part of its Americas Customs Working Group, which supports the CBSA requirements outlined in the Electronic Commerce Client Requirements Document. The pilot hopes to identify and validate the operational efficiency that can be achieved through electronic manifests.
The formal CBSA requirement is set to go into effect next year.
“Descartes brings proven expertise and experience to this important initiative, and has been instrumental in helping Con-way Freight ensure compliance with existing and emerging e-commerce trade security requirements,” Mathew said. “We’re confident this pilot will validate opportunities to optimize our operations, improve service to our customers, and smoothly address this important new government security initiative as it is implemented and enforced."
