The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) on Oct. 7 announced that it is proposing a new rule that seeks to “bring more clarity, structure, and punctuality to the demurrage and detention billing practices of vessel operating common carriers (VOCCs), non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs), and marine terminal operators (MTOs).”

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) responded to Russia’s annexation attempts by adding 57 entities in Russia and the Crimean region of Ukraine to its Entity List for supporting the Russian military’s continues invasion of Ukraine.

Testifying before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Sept. 28, Commissioner Carl Bentzel of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said he unequivocally opposes the proposed merger between Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific Rail and asked the STB commissioners to reject the plan.

One of the major success stories from this year’s NCBFAA Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18-20 was winning additional co-sponsors among U.S. House Representatives for our Customs Business Fairness Act (CBFA) (HR 4816).

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 Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has published a temporary rule implementing the Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA) provisions and providing procedures for foreign producers and importers.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome Goldfish Inc. and Navco Logistics who have recently joined our association.

To help business and human resource (HR) leaders navigate the challenges on the horizon, Paychex invested in its fourth annual study of workforce trends impacting small- to medium-sized businesses.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) on Oct. 3 announced that it awarded a $500,000 contract to the National Academies of Science (NAS) to examine the nation’s intermodal chassis pools and provide recommendations on best practices for their management.

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) is pleased to announce a two-hour “series sweep” webinar that features key Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials involved in the agency’s four import programs: pesticides under FIFRA, toxic substances under TSCA, vehicles and engines under the Clean Air Act, and ozone-depleting substances under the Clean Air Act.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., have highlighted for our customs broker members the details of the U.S. Russian oil tariff for India and the Aug. 7 implementation of the reciprocal tariffs against a range of country imports, as well as noted the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) related guidance to these tariff actions. In addition, the Committee provided guidance regarding the European Union HTS application of 9903.02.19/9903.02.20.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on July 25 announced that a new treatment recommendation, Shredder-Hammermill, has been added to the list of available treatments in their Treatment Manual to provide an emergency phytosanitary destruction method for dunnage, pallets, wood packaging material (WPM) and other non-compliant wood products.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it will begin making flagging updates to the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) codes related to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reflect the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) bi-annual 484(f) changes to the HTS.

In July, NCBFAA reported that USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) would soon end paper submissions of the Lacey declaration. Now, it is official — APHIS said on Aug. 8 that paper submissions end, starting Jan. 1, 2026.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to extend the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule by 30 months — to July 2028. The agency said it remains committed to successful implementation of the full requirements of the final rule, which establishes additional traceability recordkeeping requirements, beyond what is already required in existing regulations, for persons who manufacture, import, process, pack, or hold foods found on the Food Traceability List.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., have highlighted for our customs broker members the details of the U.S. Russian oil tariff for India and the Aug. 7 implementation of the reciprocal tariffs against a range of country imports, as well as noted the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) related guidance to these tariff actions. In addition, the Committee provided guidance regarding the European Union HTS application of 9903.02.19/9903.02.20.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on July 25 announced that a new treatment recommendation, Shredder-Hammermill, has been added to the list of available treatments in their Treatment Manual to provide an emergency phytosanitary destruction method for dunnage, pallets, wood packaging material (WPM) and other non-compliant wood products.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it will begin making flagging updates to the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) codes related to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reflect the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) bi-annual 484(f) changes to the HTS.

In July, NCBFAA reported that USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) would soon end paper submissions of the Lacey declaration. Now, it is official — APHIS said on Aug. 8 that paper submissions end, starting Jan. 1, 2026.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to extend the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule by 30 months — to July 2028. The agency said it remains committed to successful implementation of the full requirements of the final rule, which establishes additional traceability recordkeeping requirements, beyond what is already required in existing regulations, for persons who manufacture, import, process, pack, or hold foods found on the Food Traceability List.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., have highlighted for our customs broker members the details of the U.S. Russian oil tariff for India and the Aug. 7 implementation of the reciprocal tariffs against a range of country imports, as well as noted the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) related guidance to these tariff actions. In addition, the Committee provided guidance regarding the European Union HTS application of 9903.02.19/9903.02.20.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on July 25 announced that a new treatment recommendation, Shredder-Hammermill, has been added to the list of available treatments in their Treatment Manual to provide an emergency phytosanitary destruction method for dunnage, pallets, wood packaging material (WPM) and other non-compliant wood products.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it will begin making flagging updates to the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) codes related to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reflect the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) bi-annual 484(f) changes to the HTS.

In July, NCBFAA reported that USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) would soon end paper submissions of the Lacey declaration. Now, it is official — APHIS said on Aug. 8 that paper submissions end, starting Jan. 1, 2026.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to extend the compliance date for the Food Traceability Rule by 30 months — to July 2028. The agency said it remains committed to successful implementation of the full requirements of the final rule, which establishes additional traceability recordkeeping requirements, beyond what is already required in existing regulations, for persons who manufacture, import, process, pack, or hold foods found on the Food Traceability List.