CARRIERS SEEK MORE ACCOUNTABILITY FROM CUSTOMS CLIENT REPRESENTATIVES

CARRIERS SEEK MORE ACCOUNTABILITY FROM CUSTOMS CLIENT REPRESENTATIVES    Ocean and rail carriers say U.S. Customs’ client representative program is not adequately meeting their needs.
   Client representatives are assigned by Customs to particular companies to assist them with their import compliance and systems questions and concerns.
   “We’re trying to get help from Customs to better our transmissions and our calls don’t get returned,” said an ocean carrier executive attending the Customs Electronic Systems Action Committee meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday.
   Other carrier executives complained that they often get told by their client representatives to call Customs headquarters in Washington for answers. “I shouldn’t have to do that,” the ocean carrier executive said.
   CESAC Chairman Len Podgurny said the group will develop a position paper for Customs, which calls for more accountability and some restructuring of the client representative program to better service the industry.