News / Customs brokers fear US import rule changes are pushing them towards AI

Photo: © Danielfela

Backlogs are building for customs brokers after changes to US import rules, with suggestions that the amendments were imposed as part of a push towards decreasing the workforce and speeding up the switch to AI-based customs practices.

Beginning tomorrow, US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Automated Commercial Environment will increase the number of Harmonised Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers allowed per entry summary line.

“This will enable filers to include up to 32 HTS numbers on one entry summary line, including for reconciliation and drawback entry summaries. The current limit is eight,” said the CBP.

Interestingly, just yesterday that increase had been pegged at 16, before doubling, with global head of customs at Flexport Angela Lewis telling The Loadstar the CBP must have thought “why not go bigger?”.

“The move to allow 32 HTS codes per line is a big shift, and it is a sign of where customs enforcement is headed; and that [shift to 32] speaks volumes about the uncertainty over future tariffs,” she added.

“It is clearly leaving the door open for further complexity, depending on how trade partners respond. This will not be the last time brokers have to adapt. Technically, brokers can handle it, but ensuring compliance in today’s fast-moving regulatory environment will be far harder.”

But not everyone is in agreement. Sea Cargo Air Cargo Logistics’ director of aerospace, Greg Birley, accused the CBP of having “just put the nail in the coffin of traditional US customs brokers”.

Mr Birley said: “This is a four-times increase. Sounds minor? It is not. Commercial invoices often include hundreds of products and manually keying that in? Game over.

“Unit economics just do not make sense with a human in the loop. With tariff complexity surging in 2025, this CSMS should be a clear warning to any broker not building with AI at the core.”

While the changes do not come into play for another few hours, The Loadstar has been made aware of brokers already contending with backlogs as they work to shift their processes to accommodate the changes.

Ms Lewis, however, cautioned against seeing this as a push to AI, suggesting it was more to do with “building smart systems that apply business rules and logic, so humans can review, not retype, every line”.

She added: “We’ve built logic that automatically applies exemptions, like in-transit HTS, but most brokers do not have this yet and will still rely on manual entry or patchwork software. A static product library isn’t enough anymore.

“With constant updates to tariffs and exemptions, brokers need better data from suppliers and internal teams – think costed BOMs and full traceability.

“The future of brokerage is not AI versus human, it is combining both through automation applying rules intelligently, at scale.”