Working Overtime: How air cargo is adapting to ACAS, ELD rules

Digital answers

Companies like Descartes offer software solutions for regulations like ACAS and the ELD-mandate. Scott Sangster, vice president of Descartes’ global logistics network, weighed in on the biggest hurdles stakeholders have faced on the ACAS side. “Really, most of the challenges have been around the cooperation of the collection of data,” he said. “For some of the airlines, [it] was gathering the information in a complete enough format to meet the requirements of the ACAS program in advance of physically handling that cargo or loading it onto the plane.”

Descartes’ platform for clients subject to ACAS rules allows them to record and send data electronically to the U.S. government for review, and receive status notifications in return like hold for inspection notices.

Roger Libby, executive vice president of corporate public policy at DHL, spoke to Air Cargo World about the logistics giant’s role in the development of the ACAS program, which began the week after the October 2010 Yemen incident. Libby said that the process of forming the standards was a “co-creation” between the government and DHL, among other forwarders.

“Companies that did not get engaged – and this is both express and freight forwarders who did not participate in the pilot – run the risk of having to catch up quickly. It could affect some companies out there,” he said, but emphasized that unlike other regulatory mandates, which are often viewed as unnecessary impositions, many industry players see these requirements as good standard practice.

In essence, gathering the data for the U.S. government means an extra step that falls in the lap of the carrier, sometimes in the lap of the forwarder, that was not required previously. And if the data is not complete or in the correct format, or indicates a high-risk item, then the cargo could be flagged for additional screening – which could be the make or break of whether your customer’s machine parts will arrive on time.