News & Insights

In the annual State of Logistics Report, produced by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and presented by Penske Logistics, the freight and logistics industry experienced a banner year in 2014 with record levels reached in certain sectors. In fact, according to Rosalyn Wilson, a transportation consultant who researches and writes the report, 2014 was the best year for U.S. logistics since the start of the recession in 2007. Overall, total U.S. business logistics costs rose to $1.45 trillion in 2014, a 3.1% increase from the previous year. Transportation costs rose 3.6% in 2014. Trucking, the largest component […]

Roanoke Trade will be a presenter at this year’s NBCBA annual meeting which will be held October 12-14th, in Washington D.C. NBCBA meetings occur three times a year with CBP in attendance during the October Washington D.C. meetings. Janet Ciesko, Terry Cummings and Bill Sterrett of Roanoke are attending and are hosting a reception on Monday evening at the conference hotel.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce is charged with assisting businesses in competing in the global marketplace. Last year alone, U.S. exported goods and services were valued at a combined total of $2.34 trillion, and the federal agency continues to help boost exports with several key initiatives designed to foster U.S. businesses’ success in international markets. Among the key initiatives in which the ITA played a critical role is the Information Technology Agreement, a plurilateral trade agreement that requires participants to eliminate their tariffs on a specific list of information technology (IT) and telecommunications products. […]

Announcement of ACE NCAP Test for RLF Entries On July 13, 2015, a Federal Register Notice (FRN) was published announcing CBP’s plan to proceed with a National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test concerning ACE entries filed using remote location filing (RLF) procedures. The initial phase of this test began on August 12, 2015. ACE RLF Procedures The FRN updates the RLF procedures when using ACE Entry Summary Certified for ACE Cargo Release method of entry filing. As of now, only entry types 01, 03, 11 and 52 are eligible, however, CBP will expand the entry types eligible for ACE RLF entries as more […]

Roanoke’s CBP bond underwriters have heightened concerns on certain sugar importations from Mexico. Licensed customs brokers should beware of potential liquidated damage exposures relating to failure to provide export licenses. On September 4, 2014, the Department of Commerce (DOC) published a preliminary countervailing duty determination on case no. C-201-846 in the Federal Register (see admin message 4247301). The commodity is certain “raw and refined sugar from cane or beets” from Mexico. A subsequent notice listed the following HTSUS subheadings: 1701.12.1000, 1701.12.5000, 1701.13.1000, 1701.13.5000, 1701.14.1000, 1701.14.5000, 1701.91.1000, 1701.91.3000, 1701.99.1010, 1701.99.1025, 1701.99.1050, 1701.99.5010, 1701.99.5025, 1701.99.5050, and 1702.90.4000. On December 19, 2014, the U.S. […]

The world’s third-largest port in terms of total cargo volume in Tianjin, China was hit on Aug. 12 by explosions at a hazardous-chemicals warehouse that damaged a large industrial area and sent shock waves across several kilometers. So far reports indicate that 114 people were killed. Initial estimates from Chinese media reports also indicate that total insurance losses could be between $1 billion to $1.5 billion. The site was completely inaccessible two days after the incident, with police cars and fire trucks thronging the area. Tianjin is major base for petrochemicals, refining and other industries. The auto industry is expected […]