DHS Unveils New Cargo Rules

img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>The Department of Homeland Security unveiled anti-terrorism rules requiring cargo handlers to report electronic information before reaching the U.S. borders, prompting American Trucking Associations to express concern over how the plan would work without causing delays.

The new rules, which the freight industry had been expecting, require electronic manifests to be sent to officials of the Customs and Border Protection agency identifying cargo shipped by truck, rail, airplane and ship before those goods get to the border.

DHS published a summary of the rules Nov. 20, and said they were intended to help U.S. border agents identify high-risk cargo entering the United States.