GHY Tradelines

(World Trade Interactive)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has updated its quarterly Internal Revenue Service interest rates used to calculate interest on overdue accounts (underpayments) and refunds (overpayments) of customs duties. For the quarter beginning Jan. 1, 2012, the interest rates for overpayments are 2% for corporations and 3% for non-corporations, and the interest rate for underpayments is 3%. These rates are unchanged from the previous quarter.
 

(Kevin Bonham – Forum Communications)

Goal to prepare plan for Pembina-Emerson truck interchange

Car and truck traffic moved smoothly through the U.S.-Canada border on a day this past week at the Pembina Port of Entry.

It isn’t always that way.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, trucks can back up for a mile or two as drivers rush to move their goods to U.S. consumers. It’s a similar story for passenger vehicles later in the week.

The situation is similar, although reversed, along northbound Interstate 29 at the Emerson, Manitoba, Port of Entry.

North Dakota and Manitoba officials think they can do better. Read more here.
 

(CFIA)

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Seeks Comments on Proposed Regulatory Amendments for Wine Labelling

The CFIA is seeking comments on proposed regulatory amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations and a new regulation under the Canada Agricultural Products Act about the labelling of wine prior to the changes being posted in Canada Gazette Part I.

For more information: http://bit.ly/zjwIZI

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will be consulting with stakeholders regarding its regulatory frameworks in order to improve consistency and reduce complexity in regulation. For more information or to provide your feedback, visit here .

If you have any comments or questions, please email Amesika Baeta at abaeta@iecanada.com.
 

(Ross Marowits – The Canadian Press)

The world’s two largest construction toy companies could soon face off in a California court as Mega Brands seeks to invalidate Lego’s trademark for its plastic blocks.

The Montreal-based toy company is seeking a temporary restraining order to keep its products flowing into the United States.

Mega Brands (TSX:MB) said U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to restrict the importation of some products sold in the world’s largest toy market for more than 20 years. Read more here.
 

(Detroit Free Press)

Border crossings increased about 5% in 2011 over the previous year at 11 U.S.-Canada crossing sites, but the modest increase will do little to end debate on the need for a new bridge between Detroit and Windsor.

In all, some 37.1 million cars, trucks, buses and other vehicles crossed the border at the 11 sites among Michigan and upstate New York. Passenger car traffic rose 6.6% to 30.3 million crossings, while commercial truck traffic was flat from the year before at 6.7 million crossings.

The Ambassador Bridge remained the busiest crossing by far, accounting for 4.6 million passenger car crossings and 2.6 million truck crossings. Read more here.
 

(Jim Giermanski – HS Today)

It’s well documented that commercial truck traffic entering the United States from Mexico as is currently practiced poses a serious threat to America’s security.

There are many weaknesses in the system designed and controlled by Mexican citizens with the blessing of the US government, but the most serious flaw may be the resultant drayage, or transfer system, of crossing commercial cargo. The drayage system is just one of the many related security risks.

The risks also include drop lots, or pensiones as they are called in Mexico, that are monopolized by Mexican customs brokers on the border, and the less-than-truck load (LTL) motor carrier crossings that are reliant upon the drayage system. Read more here.
 

Ontario headquartered Descartes Systems Group has made what it terms “significant extensions” to the company’s cloud-based Logistics Flow Control solution. Descartes claim the new modules provide retailers with better coordination of supplier managed freight shipments and synchronize commercial and logistics documentation required for accurate import Customs duty filings. Read more here.