Change to ACE Quota Processing Should Relieve Headaches for Some West Coast Filers

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- A recent change to ACE processing of absolute quota entries marks a “big improvement,” especially for West Coast importers, said Pauline Hogue, program manager-trade at CBP’s Los Angeles Field Office, at the Western Cargo Conference on Oct. 19. A switch from daily batch processing to hourly processing (see 1809180015) means quota entries are processed throughout the day, and any cargo that arrived after 4:30 p.m. Pacific time will no longer have to sit until the next batch is processed the following evening Eastern time. Now such shipments will be processed at 9:45 a.m. Pacific time the following morning. The change came as part of the deployment in ACE of absolute quota functionality, which hadn’t been initially included because absolute quotas hadn’t existed for almost a decade until they were imposed as part of country-specific deals to end Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Meanwhile, trade associations on the West Coast are currently working with CBP to see if there’s a way to get around another issue specific to their ports. East Coast filers that arrive shipments at 9 a.m. Eastern time -- 6 a.m. Pacific time -- have their entries processed, and get their quota quantities, earlier than shipments arrived at West Coast ports at 9 a.m., Hogue said. While the trade and CBP are looking at “some changes that can be made,” that’s currently the way things are done, she said. As a result, filers working with quotas that are close to getting filled need to submit their entries as soon as possible, she said.