The Airforwarders Association urges Customs to not rush into Air Cargo Advanced Screening rulemaking

WASHINGTON - April 11, 2013 - PRLog -- The Airforwarder’s Association (AfA) today submitted written testimony to the Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Transportation Security hearing titled, "TSA's Efforts to Advance Risk-Based Security: Stakeholder's Perspective." (http://homeland.house.gov/hearing/subcommittee-hearing-tsa’s-efforts-advance-risk-based-security-stakeholder-perspectives)

In his written testimony, AfA’s Executive Director Brandon Fried urges that, ”Customs and Border Protection (CBP) not move to rulemaking until additional airforwarders have the opportunity to participate in the pilot at the operational level.”

The Air Cargo Advanced Screening (ACAS) was co-created by CBP, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and private industry. Express carriers have been in the program for more than two years and a handful airforwarders have only recently begun participating at the operational level.

“We believe that CBP will increase its knowledge of the airforwarder community by extending the pilot and will ultimately improve both the data quantity and the data quality from the airforwarder community leading to a more thorough integration and understanding of the different kinds of transactions performed by forwarder participants,” states Mr. Fried.

AfA also requests that CBP be flexible regarding the data transmission of freight and encourages the United States Government to advocate the benefits of international harmonization.

Click here (http://library.constantcontact.com/doc205/1105037637574/d...) to read the submitted testimony.

Follow the Airforwarders Association on Twitter @AfAExecDirector (https://twitter.com/@AfAExecDirector).

About the AfA:  The Airforwarders Association (AfA) serves as the voice of 350 member companies employing over 20,000 employees nationwide in a $17 billion freight forwarding industry. For more information about the airfreight forwarding business and the Airforwarders Association, visit www.airforwarders.org.