Continues to seek clear operational guidance for process involving empty vehicles entering Canada

The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) is welcoming Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) regulatory amendments that support the e-Manifest initiative, but continues to ask for more details on the process that applies to empty vehicles entering Canada.

The final rule – published on May 6 in Canada Gazette, Part II – now mandates the e-Manifest requirements. Before arriving, carriers that transport goods into Canada must electronically transmit cargo and conveyance data to CBSA. This data must be received and validated a minimum of one hour before the shipment arrives at the border.

A transition period without penalties will apply until July 10. From that point to Jan. 10, 2016, the carriers that don’t comply could be issued non-monetary, zero-rated penalties. Monetary penalties begin Jan. 10, 2016.

“Most of our members were already complying with the e-Manifest requirements, and voluntary trials have proven that e-Manifests expedite clearance at the border,” said Mike Millian, president of PMTC. “The 45-day compliance window and zero-rated, six-month Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) period will allow everyone enough time to ensure they comply and avoid monetary penalties.”

There are, however, still questions to be answered.

“We were also hoping to see some operational guidance in the announcement itself, or in the form of a Customs Notice, to address the cumbersome process that requires an e-Manifest to be filed for empty vehicles entering Canada,” Millian said. “It can be a challenge if drivers are barely an hour from the border when they are told to return without a load.”

While not widely publicized, an interim process had been discussed, but CBSA chose not to address it in the final rule. If the situation is left unaddressed, there can be problems when addressing bar-coded lead sheets before being able to submit electronic crew data.

“Without specific and direct guidance about empty vehicles, there is bound to be extra processing costs or delays at the border as we move toward mandatory ACI filings,” Millian said. “The PMTC and its partners will continue to work on behalf of private fleets to ensure this issue is resolved.”