F r o n t l i n e H

ustoms-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism members remain firmly

committed to the program, according to the results of a survey conducted by the University of Virginia. Under C-TPAT, members sign an agreement to work with Customs and Border Protection to protect the supply chain, identify security gaps and implement specific security measures and best practices.

The survey was conducted at the request of CBP to gather the impressions of C-TPAT partners regarding the value, benefits and costs associated with membership in the program.

Significant findings revealed the following:• The vast majority (81.3%) of

members indicated that their ability to assess and manage supply chain risk had been strengthened as a result of joining C-TPAT.

• More than half (56.8%) of the members indicated that C-TPAT benefits either outweighed the costs or were about the same.

• The minimum security criteria were generally viewed as very or somewhat easy to implement across the various sectors.

“It is clear that members consider C-TPAT valuable on several levels, including

reducing disruptions to their supply chains and having a direct link with CBP,” said C-TPAT Director Bradd Skinner. “We will carefully consider these findings in an effort to make the program even better.”

The survey was provided to all 6,000 C-TPAT certified members and designed so that

responses could be provided anonymously. More than 1,700 companies participated; of those, more than half were U.S. importers. ■

The first phase of capabilities also sets the stage for greater account-based processing by expanding ACE access to virtually every entity doing business with CBP. Part of this expansion includes providing truck carriers the ability to maintain their own ACE accounts. With the truck driver’s information already in ACE, companies who file electronic manifests for shipments driven by that carrier will be able to pull up information from the driver’s account and use it to pre-populate the required driver information fields on the manifest. Pre-populating this information eliminates the need to manually re-enter that driver’s data for each manifest — resulting in fewer opportunities for mistakes, and potentially decreasing the amount of time that driver spends at the border. Truck carriers may also assign account creation and maintenance to a service provider, broker, or importer.

Another immediate benefit is the ability for ACE account holders to maintain their CBP data online, without the use of paper forms. Importers and brokers can use ACE to file and update the information required of them in order to do business with CBP. Importers can submit and update their importer identification record (the CBP form 5106) online via the ACE Secure Data Portal, a customized, secure Web site for authorized users that connects CBP, the trade community, and participating government

agencies by providing a single, centralized, on-line access point for communications and information. The Automated Broker Interface option will remain for filers. Brokers can view and update their CBP data directly through ACE. For example, with this delivery of capabilities, brokers with ACE portal accounts will be able to file their triennial status report with CBP online, eliminating the time it takes to submit and process paper forms.

Under phase one, ACE users no longer need to maintain multiple user identification numbers and passwords to access multiple ACE accounts. This is a huge benefit for brokers, who previously had to log out of ACE, then log back in with a different user ID and password in order to move between client’s ACE accounts. ACE users will also gain cross-account access that will allow the account owner and account owner designees to view the entire account structure, and view relationships between subsidiaries. Users can also run reports that focus on the overall import performance of the account or on a segment of that account.

With this initial phase of capabilities available in ACE, the stage is set. As CBP continues to expand ACE and build on these initial capabilities, the days of moving and storing tons of paper will give way to a new age.

For more information, visit http://www.cbp.gov/modernization, or e-mail CBP.CSPO@dhs.gov. ■