How to Reduce Risk & Protect Your Company The Customs Modernization Act makes Reasonable Care a legal requirement when importing into the United States.  Not watching your Reasonable Care duties doesn’t just leave you open to delays and confusion, it…

FROM NAFTA TO USMCA: ARE YOU READY? We want to help your organization get answers to some of the important questions: What are the key differences between NAFTA and USMCA? When does the USMCA agreement take effect? How long is…

Classification under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) can be a complicated and nuanced process, especially as you dig deeper into the tariff to the subheading and statistical levels. There are tools out there that allow you to expedite the process,…

It Happened twice in 2010. Teledyne LeCroy of Chestnut Ridge, New York, exported oscilloscopes from the U.S. to Beihang University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also known as Beihang University, in Beijing, China. The Oscilloscopes were classified under ECCN 3A292 and…

On June 3 of 2016, the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a final rule (RIN 0694 AG32), and the Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), issued an intern final rule, making important…

Much has been written about qualifying goods under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) rules of origin. Because manufacturers are sourcing materials and components from around the world, it is often confusing to determine eligibility for NAFTA qualification. In…

While imports of returned goods to the U.S. are common transactions, they are also a major source of risk. Historically, there has been a duty free exemption for U.S. goods returned under provision 9801.00.10 in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, but…

What is duty drawback? According to U.S. Customs, Drawback is the refund of Customs duties, certain Internal Revenue taxes, and certain fees collected at importation. The refund is administered after the exportation or destruction of either the imported/substituted product or…

One of the latest buzz words in the shipping world is “SOLAS”. It has been called a controversial convention established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and is wreaking havoc for shippers, ports, 3PL’s and more. In order to better…

Canada, Mexico and the United States maintain measures imposing criminal, civil or administrative penalties for violations of their laws and customs procedures, including those related to NAFTA. Here are the top 5 NAFTA errors to watch out for: 1. Completing…

Truck driving is a stressful job. Long hours, crazy schedules, traffic delays, changes in delivery times, alternate routes, all add up to a lot of stress. Since stress can affect a driver mentally and physically, it is important to avoid…

Loading bays need three key elements for success; efficiency, safety and speed. A bottleneck in any of these means potential loss of time and money. Here are a few quick tips for better loading and unloading of trailers: 1. Have…

A notification that your ocean container is being held by U.S. Customs Border Patrol is no laughing matter. Despite the obvious problems associated with container retention; such as time lost in receiving goods and fees associated with the retention, other…

ISPM 15 rules are a regular part of International Trade. Knowledge of these rules is a must when dealing with International transactions. These rules are intended to prevent the spread of plant pests and diseases throughout the world when shipping…

A large portion of Australian exporters have taken to Facebook in order to build customers in target markets. The 2015 DHL Export Barometer survey examined the use of social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ and discovered that export…

Your company has just been notified by your CTPAT Supply Chain Security Specialist (SCSS) that they want to perform a site audit at your business location in the near future. You feel fairly confident that you have all your security…