Monday Morning eBriefing

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said in a March 11 statement to the industry that it is “closely monitoring” the impact the military activities in the Middle East are having on ocean freight shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Under its statutory authority, the Commission said it “ensures that rates, charges, and rules that common carriers have implemented as a result of the threats to commercial shipping in the Strait and neighboring waters do not violate the Shipping Act.”

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 behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome AlphaM Trading & Logistics, Cargomind, CB Customs Brokerage Services, Jin Jeong Kim dba JJK Customs Broker, and Prism Drawback Consulting Services, which have recently joined our association. We're so excited to have these firms join our organization and we are happy to assist in any way we can!

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on March 11 announced the initiation of investigations regarding the acts, policies, and practices of various economies under Section 301(b) of the 1974 Trade Act relating to “structural excess capacity and production” in manufacturing sectors. The investigations will determine whether those acts, policies, and practices are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce, according to USTR.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, (R-LA), on March 9 introduced the Securing Accountability in Foreign Entries (SAFE) Act, which would ensure the U.S. customs system provides fair and enforceable conditions for reliable trade partners to access the U.S. market. NCBFAA thanks Sen. Cassidy’s office for collaborating with the trade.

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) National Targeting Center - Cargo Division (NTC-CD) on March 6 made available to the trade its Air Cargo Advance Screening Implementation Guide (ACAS-IG) Version 2.4.0 and updated FAQ documents.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Friday, March 6, told the Court of International Trade (CIT) in a filing that it was not prepared to process the court-ordered IEEPA tariff refunds, but could have ACE programmed to do so in the next 45 days, which CIT Judge Richard Eaton acknowledged later in the day with a suspension order.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Port of Savannah has alerted customs brokers of an issue affecting certain ACE Cargo Release entries for the vessel M/V ONEY ONE Minato (V0028E), which arrived at the Port of Savannah, GA (Port Code 1703) on Feb. 27, 2026, and requiring the industry’s attention.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee has learned that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has deployed a fix in ABI for goods previously admitted in PF Status under IEEPA and will now allow the transmission of FTZ 06 Withdrawal Entries without declaration/payment of IEEPA duties.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on March 6 deployed updates to ACE Certification (CERT) environment to support the automated transmission of container seal changes for ocean and rail shipments. This update includes impacts to electronic data interchange (EDI).

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) posted several useful infographics on the agency website to determine whether an egg, meat, or poultry product is subject to FSIS jurisdiction.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on March 24 will enhance ACE to enable trade users to provide ATA Carnet information as part of an electronic truck manifest filing. This update includes electronic data interchange (EDI) impacts.

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

The NCBFAA Export Compliance ACE Reports Working Group shares a tip with members regarding the functionality of a specific data field available when running ACE export reports.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard on March 5 announced the first round of bilateral discussions in preparation for the Joint Review of the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on March 5 announced to the trade that it has updated the Electronic Export Manifest (EEM) ACE Exports Truck X12- 355 Acceptance/Rejection Message Implementation Guide.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on March 2 delivered the Trump administration’s 2026 Trade Policy Agenda and 2025 Annual Report to Congress, as required at the beginning of March each year by the 1974 Trade Act.

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

Although our industry-leading 2026 NCBFAA Annual Conference at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas, on April 12-15, 2026, has sold out, we want to take this moment to thank our generous sponsors who help make this event a success.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome David Wang, Morgan Trade Compliance, and R.E. Delgado Inc., which have recently joined our association. We're so excited to have these firms join our organization and we are happy to assist in any way we can!