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At a recent meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border
Protection (COAC) program updates were provided regarding the C-TPAT initiative.
The report advised that staffing goals had been met and to date 3,516. The projection is 65% by the end of the year, with
revalidations starting in 2007. 181 companies have been removed from the C-TPAT program (121 being highway carriers). New security criteria have been implemented for importers, sea carriers, highway
carriers, rail carriers, manufacturers and the standards regulating air carriers and customs brokers are under development. The “secure portal” went into effect at the beginning of
October and approximately 94% of participants entered their data by the due date.
Over the next year, CBP will be identifying criteria for third-party logistics companies and developing requirements for
outside validators and auditors through a one year voluntary pilot program. This will enable CBP to make verifications in countries such as China where they are not presently able to go.
Information was also provided about more stringent requirements on the control of cargo within container terminals and a
“zero-tolerance” policy on exceptions such as “gate outs” (in-bond containers removed with out CBP approval).
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