Published 9 October 2024
On 4 September 2024, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a nationwide rejection of vague cargo descriptions in Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) for any freight arriving or transiting in the US.
The new policy will take effect from 12pm (USA EST) on 12 November 2024.
From this date, ACAS files will need to include more detailed cargo descriptions. Any non-compliant, vague descriptors will be rejected and freight will not be loaded at origin until the cargo descriptions have been amended to be compliant.
Please note that if a hold is placed on one HAWB, the entire MAWB will not be uplifted. If a MAWB/HAWB is co-loaded on a ULD with other MAWBs, the entire ULD will be held from uplift.
Visit the US CBP for more information about acceptable descriptions and Cargo Systems Messaging Service rejection messages.