Customs Brokers Report Receiving More Timed-Out Messages When Running Reports in ACE
Some customs brokers have been seeing an increase in timed-out messages when running reports in the ACE portal, customs brokers told International Trade Today.
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This increase in Error 524 messages has been happening for several weeks, although their frequency has increased recently, brokers said. The errors can also be inconsistent; some brokers have not gotten any error messages at all, while others have received errors at least half of the time.
"We rely on CBP’s ACE Portal and trade systems to meet statutory deadlines, manage financial risk, and demonstrate reasonable care. Yet basic reporting is repeatedly failing with 'Error 524' timeout," customs broker Kristina Carter said in a recent LinkedIn post. International Trade Today confirmed with other brokers that they also are experiencing this.
CBP is aware of the problem, brokers said; however, the agency didn't respond to a request for comment by press time on what actions the agency is undertaking to address the issue.
But the time-outs are adding an element of unpredictability as brokers wait for the reports to run successfully, brokers said. Furthermore, the errors come at a time when customs brokers are under pressure to comply with complex regulations, they said.
To deal with the time-outs, multiple brokers told ITT that they have resorted to running or scheduling reports after peak hours as a best practice. But these coping mechanisms can be inconvenient if a report is urgently needed, brokers said.