CENSUS PROPOSES CHANGES TO SED FORMAT

US CENSUS PROPOSES CHANGES TO SED FORMAT    The U.S. Commerce Department’s Census Bureau wants to incorporate data elements on paper filings of shipper’s export declaration which are already reported through the Automated Export System.
   Customs and Census developed AES several years ago as a way to collect export commodity and transportation data. The system eliminates the need for exporters and forwarders to file their export declarations to the agencies on paper.
   Census must review the SED format every three years. Some information, such as hazardous material data and vehicle identification numbers, is not collected on paper SEDs but is on AES. These additional items are conditional data elements and are neither reported for all transactions nor a burden to the trade, Census said.
   The agency still collects about 450,000 paper SEDs a month at its    Jeffersonville, Ind. data center.
   Census will take comments from the industry about its proposed SED changes through June 27. For more information, contact Jerome Greenwell at (301) 457-2238.