Resources

Border Crossing Glossary

Logística-designated Mexican carrier
Because U.S. carriers are not permitted to drive commercial vehicles within Mexico, Estes Logística uses carefully qualified Mexico-domiciled carriers to move Estes’ freight while in Mexico.
Automated Broker Interface
The Automated Broker Interface (ABI) is a component of the U.S. Customs Service’s Automated Commercial System that permits qualified participants to electronically file required import data with Customs.
In-bond
The movement of freight within a country without formal entry into that country’s commerce. For example, a shipment going from Mexico to Canada must first pass through the U.S. to get to its final destination. So, while the freight is on U.S. soil, the carrier is bonded for that freight and takes full responsibility for it until the shipment reaches the Canada border.
PARS
The Pre-Arrival Review System is used to process customs paperwork before north-bound freight reaches the Canada border. As a result, the freight crosses from the U.S. into Canada much more quickly.
PAPS
The Pre-Arrival Processing System is used to process customs paperwork before SB freight reaches the U.S. border. As a result, the freight crosses into the U.S. from Canada much more quickly.
ACE
The Automated Commercial Environment is a partnership between select carriers and U.S. customs that facilitates prompt and timely freight crossing between the US and Canada or Mexico. Not every carrier has ACE capabilities via electronic data interchange (EDI), and that’s a big advantage. ACE’s secure data portal allows brokers and carriers the ability to file manifests electronically and create reports using real-time data.
NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement is an agreement for free trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico that became effective in 1994.
Sufferance warehouse

Licensed terminals within Estes’ Canadian service provider’s network act as official sufferance warehouses for north-bound freight that fails PARS at the U.S./Canada border. They are used to provide temporary storage in Canada where the imported goods can be examined and either released or exported back to the point of origin.

Failing PARS at the border happens very infrequently, but having an in-house sufferance capability minimizes the delays experienced by most other carriers who have to move the non-cleared freight physically to an independent sufferance warehouse.