CBP has been tightening its enforcement on reporting of steel and aluminum content for Section 232 duty purposes, based on criteria that have yet to be made public in formal guidance, according to customs brokers and trade attorneys interviewed by International Trade Today.
The development of artificial intelligence tools specifically aimed at facilitating trade and improving import and export compliance could potentially halve the global workforce dealing with these matters, said the head of WiseTech Global during the company's Global Investor Day on Dec. 3.
Net revenue recovered from entry summary reviews skyrocketed to nearly $33 billion in fiscal year 2025, while the total number of liquidated damages in U.S. trade doubled, according to recently updated CBP data.
CBP's and data technology provider Altana's foray into developing a technology tool that can provide both regulators and stakeholders with deep visibility into products' supply chains may serve as a foundation for what trade facilitation might look like in the future, Altana's vice president and head of trade compliance Amy Morgan asserted in a Dec. 2 webinar hosted by the American Association of Exporters and Importers.
As CBP ramps up enforcement, the agency often seems to be heading straight for penalties, as witnessed anecdotally by the trend to send out more notices of action, or CF-29 forms, instead of informing importers of possible errors, according to trade experts speaking on a Nov. 20 webinar hosted by logistics company Expeditors.
Customs brokers that filed entries after tariff exemptions on agricultural products took retroactive effect on Nov. 13 should file corrections "as soon as possible," according to a Nov. 14 cargo systems message outlining guidance on the exemptions for agricultural products (see 2511140054).
As customs brokers and importers respond to sudden changes in U.S. trade compliance regulations, the trade will need to come up with new models that can allow companies to be nimble when those changes trickle down to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, trade expert Cindy Allen said recently at the Automotive Industry Action Group's North American Customs and Trade Town Hall on Nov. 6 in Detroit.
The FDA's ability to process imports slowed down this fall, driven by a combination of factors: the government shutdown, the transition from a regional to a national processing program, and increased scrutiny of imported products subject to import alerts, such as products from Indonesia, sources told International Trade Today.
As CBP ramps up enforcement and seeks to ensure that importers' claims of first sale are valid, expect the agency to pay close attention to the documents of the middleman, said tax consultants with KPMG during an Oct. 27 presentation on first sale at the International Compliance Professionals Association's annual conference in Texas.
Increased U.S. scrutiny of Mexican truck drivers' English-speaking proficiency is raising concerns within the drayage industry that drivers who cross the U.S. border and perform drayage within a limited distance from the border will be prevented from doing their jobs.