Descartes Air Cargo Advanced Screening™ (Descartes ACAS™)

Comply with the U.S. ACAS Security Filing Requirement

The U.S. Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) is a security filing requirement for air cargo arriving in the U.S. from a foreign country. Previously, ACAS was a voluntary program with air carriers submitting the required data elements to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on-demand. As of July 12, 2018, ACAS is now mandatory for airlines transporting cargo into the United States with many carriers using an intuitive ACAS software solution to comply.

As part of the ACAS program, air carriers now need to transmit a subset of required pre-arrival data to CBP prior to loading cargo onto an aircraft. With the manifest information on-hand before freight is on-boarded, CBP can better pinpoint points of risk.

The transmission of the required ACAS data to CBP, known as an ACAS filing, must be performed through a CBP-approved electronic data interchange system. Data elements include: shipper name and address; consignee name and address; cargo description; total quantity, weight, air waybill number, and (conditionally) the master air waybill number. Submitting the required information within the specified timeframes and collecting the information from forwarders can be challenging. A best-in-class ACAS software solution is needed to not only enable compliance but speed the movement of freight.

As a leader in security filing solutions, Descartes has created a cloud-based solution to answer the requirements of ACAS, offering carriers an innovative way to comply and gather data from forwarders.

The Descartes ACAS™ solution uses the Descartes Global Logistics Network™ (Descartes GLN™) to collect house bill information directly from forwarders’ enterprise systems. Embedded master reference data is used to perform data validation and value-added compliance services, such as denied party screening, are available to identify potential risk issues with trading partners.

Forwarder Benefits

Adherence to the rules and regulations of ACAS can help forwarders reduce costs of carrier associated filing services; achieve faster clearance of cargo; reduce data redundancy and rekeying; further automation of communication with air carriers and trading partners; and gain greater visibility and control of shipments in the supply chain.

Carrier Benefits

Adherence to the rules and regulations of ACAS can help carriers meet regulatory requirements; reduce the amount of data entry required; collect data from forwarders; and gain greater visibility into shipment volumes, details of shipments and control of shipments once in the supply chain.

How We're Helping Customers

"MNX was one of the earliest adopters of the Descartes ACAS solution. Descartes provides us with the technology platform to display innovation, leadership, ensure cargo security, and lead the industry in standards for screening and moving high-value shipments around the world."

Tom Belmont, Chief Operating Officer, MNX Global Logistics

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