B.I.G. Logistics has acquired Xcell Logistic Services and Xcell Logistics Corporation for an undisclosed amount, it said in a Dec. 20 news release. The third-party logistics provider (3PL) and warehouse management IT platform with warehouses in Texas and along the Mexican border gains in Xcell Logistic Services a 3PL and customs broker with warehouses in Laredo, Texas. Xcell Logistics Corporation “has offices in key Mexican ports, industrial hub cities and border crossings with the United States,” B.I.G. Logistics said. Together, “the companies offer pharmaceutical-licensed, 3PL cross-dock and temperature-controlled warehouses, fulfillment, transload, border brokerage, container examination station (CES), operate and manage Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) facilities and light manufacturing and e-commerce services,” the release said.
Licensed Customs Broker
Customs brokers are entities who assist importers in meeting federal requirements governing imports into the United States. Brokers can be private individuals, partnerships, associations or corporations licensed, regulated and empowered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Customs brokers oversee transactions related to customs entry and admissibility of merchandise, product classification, customs valuation, payment of duties, taxes, or other charges such as refunds, rebates, and duty drawbacks. To obtain a customs broker license, an individual must pass the U.S. Customs Broker License Exam. Customs brokers are not government employees and should not be confused with CBP officials. There are approximately 11,000 active licensed customs brokers in the United States.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative this week announced the hiring of two new officials.
EPA’s proposed expansion of liability for compliance with hydrofluorocarbon import requirements to all parties that could perform the role of importer of record “blurs the roles” of parties to a transaction and adds confusion as to who is responsible with meeting EPA requirements, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in comments posted by EPA on Dec. 19.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
CBP announced it will formally begin its long-planned pilot program to test use of global business identifiers to replace the manufacturer identification code (MID) on entry documentation. The Global Business Identifier Evaluative Proof of Concept (GBI EPoC) will begin Dec. 19, and CBP will begin accepting requests from customs brokers and importers to participate in the pilot on Dec. 2, the agency said in a notice.
At least one broker on a CBP webinar on how new Part 111 broker regulations will be implemented continued to be confused about how to determine if the company has a "sufficient" number of licensed customs brokers to supervise employees who file customs entries.
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The practice of providing tariff schedule subheadings for merchandise sold to customers is "customs business," and requires a customs broker license even if a disclaimer is included that the customer shouldn't rely on the classification, CBP determined in a Sept. 29 ruling, released on Oct. 22.
CBP posted to its Part 111 final rule webpage a list of customs brokers currently operating only on district permits who will be transitioned to national permits over the next two months. The agency said any brokers who aren’t on the list but think they should be included should reach out to “the Broker Management Officer at the port through which your license was issued and/or the Broker Management Branch.”
CBP provided more detail on factors it will consider when determining whether a customs broker is employing a “sufficient” number of licensed brokers under its new responsible supervision and control framework from the Part 111 rewrite (see 2210170071), in fact sheet released Oct. 19.