LOS ANGELES Indianapolis-based Celadon Trucking Services and it's Canadian subsidiary, Celadon Canada, were announced on Thursday as the first full truckload carriers to be fully-certified participants in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system created by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The announcement was made by Executive Director Lou Samenfink of the Customs Modernization Office at CBP's Trade Support Network (TSN) meetings in Los Angeles.
ACE is a commercial trade processing system being developed to enhance border security and expedite border crossing time for cargo. It's intended to revolutionize how CBP processes goods imported into the U.S. by providing an integrated, fully automated information system to enable the efficient collection, processing and analysis of commercial import and export data.
Safety, technology, service and security are the cornerstones of our company, said Celadon Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steve Russell. We take our responsibility in regards to border security very seriously and will always welcome the opportunity to help pioneer programs that make our country more secure.
In order to participate in ACE, all cargo entering or leaving the U.S. by air, rail, sea, or truck must have electronic manifests submitted in advance of reaching the border. Truck carriers are encouraged to establish ACE truck carrier accounts and become certified to use Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) messaging for electronic truck manifests to ensure smooth border operations when these capabilities are eventually mandated.
This recognition is a source of pride not only for our company, but also our customers, said Russell.
Celadon was also among the first truckload carriers to become certified in CBPs Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Free And Secure Trade (FAST) programs.