CBP to Launch Electronic Filing Pilot Program for Used Vehicle Exports
CBP will soon launch a pilot program to electronically process export documents for used vehicles, the agency said in a notice released May 9. The voluntary pilot, open to exports of any “used self propelled vehicles” (USPVs) that can be driven on land but not rail, is aimed at expediting and modernizing the agency's document submission and review process, CBP said.
Current regulations require exporters of USPVs to submit their “original vehicle ownership documentation” to CBP at the port of export, the agency said. This paper process is a “drain on limited CBP staffing resources at ports with significant traffic,” the agency said, adding that it requires officers to “devote numerous hours to review vehicle export paperwork.”
Under the pilot, exporters will submit those documents electronically through the Document Imaging System, which will help CBP “evaluate the feasibility of using the DIS” for USPV exports going forward. CBP hopes the pilot is a “preliminary step towards moving to a more automated and efficient export reporting system” for used vehicles. Electronic documentation will allow it to “institute better risk-based targeting of exports,” CBP said, adding that it will ideally conduct a physical field inspection of a vehicle only in cases where “targeting and risk assessment have identified a need for additional scrutiny.”
Electronic filing could also help CBP target “high-risk” vehicle exports before they leave the U.S. while also not hindering “legitimate” exports. “Considering the high volume of vehicle exports, it is expected that the electronic submission of the required documentation will have a significant impact on the speed and efficiency of vehicle export processing,” the agency said. It will use the pilot program to determine whether to make the change permanent.
The pilot, which will begin “no earlier” than June 9, will run for about two years and will apply to all exports of USPVs, regardless of their mode of transportation. Electronically submitted documents will be linked to their Electronic Export Information filing in the Automated Export System, and participants will be required to send a valid Internal Transaction Number to CBP with their DIS submission. The agency said participants will have to submit their EEI before submitting the vehicle documents to CBP.
CBP plans to stagger the implementation of the pilot for each transport mode and port participant, and those details will be announced through the Cargo Systems Messaging Service. Interested parties should contact their local CBP vehicle export processing office to express interest in participating in the DIS pilot. The agency said it will accept comments on the program any time during the pilot period.
The notice also includes information on eligibility requirements, including differing document filing requirements for vehicles exported by ocean, air, land and rail. Exporters must be “individually approved” by CPB to participate. The agency also said the pilot may at first be limited to a small number of ports until “operational, training, or technical issues on the trade or government side are established and/or resolved.”