News / Air cargo players will count the cost as US tightens security compliance

© HAKINMHAN

New US security rules are expected to add more than $110m in annual costs to air cargo players, and the Customs & Border Protection agency (CBP) itself, as compliance becomes more complex.

The US has issued a major expansion of its Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) requirements, introducing a far broader set of data obligations for all cargo flying into the country.

The interim final rule, effective once published in the Federal Register today, starts a 12-month period in which CBP says it will show “restraint” in enforcement — but the new requirements are now officially in force. Full compliance is expected by late 2026.

Under the new framework, forwarders and shippers must provide far more information, much earlier in the process.

Mandatory data now includes consignee phone numbers and email addresses, plus details of where goods were packed or collected. A long list of conditional data elements has also been added, covering everything from shipper contact details and customer-account information, to the device IP used when an online order or shipping transaction was created.

For certain shipments, CBP may also require copies of government-issued IDs to be retained for three years.

These changes mark a significant shift from the relatively simple, seven-element ACAS dataset introduced in 2018, and reflect CBP’s push for deeper visibility into ecommerce transactions, customer behaviour, and the digital trail behind each shipment.

Brandon Fried, of the US Airforwarders Association, told The Loadstar: “Since ACAS first launched, we always understood that CBP could expand the number of required data elements as threat levels evolved, so this proposal isn’t entirely unexpected.

“That said, the new requirements substantially increase the technology, data-management, and labour burden on freight forwarders – all without reimbursement – which further widens an already significant unfunded security mandate.

“Collecting additional upstream data elements, validating them, and filing them accurately in real time introduces added compliance risk, operational strain, and potential shipment delays if partners cannot provide the needed information quickly or consistently.

“Our industry’s priority is, and must remain, security. We fully support measures that strengthen the air-cargo screening architecture and enhance CBP’s ability to identify risk earlier in the supply chain.

“But forwarders are concerned about the practical impact: higher IT costs, workflow disruptions, greater liability for data accuracy they may not control, and the challenge of integrating these expanded requirements across diverse customer bases. As the rule moves forward, we hope CBP provides clear guidance, realistic timelines, and support to ensure these enhanced security expectations can be met without compromising the efficient movement of lawful trade.”

The July 2024 attempt to place incendiary devices in European cargo facilities accelerated the US response, pushing these changes out faster and more broadly than most forwarders had predicted.