Voluntary two-year truck-export pilot begins October 23
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced a voluntary test of an Automated Commercial Environment Electronic Export Manifest for Truck Cargo. The test begins October 23, 2026, is expected to run for about two years and is limited to nine qualifying truck carriers. CBP may activate the test at specific ports or case by case. Applicants must have the technical capacity to submit data through ACE and may apply until all nine places are filled. Participation costs are the carrier’s responsibility.
Selected carriers will send data in two stages
Participants must submit seven advance elements at least 24 hours before the truck departs the United States: bill of lading number, cargo quantity, total weight, a precise cargo description, the shipper’s complete name and address, the consignee’s complete name and address, and an applicable AES exemption statement. Generic descriptions such as “freight of all kinds,” “general cargo” or “said to contain” are not acceptable. The complete electronic manifest is due no later than two hours before the truck arrives at its final U.S. port of export.
The complete manifest connects the driver, vehicle and shipment
The later filing adds information such as the driver’s identity and license details, port of export, carrier SCAC, truck VIN or license plate, manifest number, expected departure time, loaded or empty status and bill-of-lading details. Conditional fields cover crew, equipment, seals, hazardous materials, ITN and other shipment-specific information. CBP can place potentially high-risk cargo on hold for more information, inspection or other action. A participant must follow any Do Not Load instruction and wait for release before moving the affected cargo.
Current export rules remain in force outside the test
The pilot is not a nationwide mandate and does not remove any existing export requirement. Under current rules, a truck carrier generally does not submit an export manifest to CBP, while the U.S. principal party in interest or its authorized agent generally files required Electronic Export Information through AES at least one hour before the truck reaches the border; U.S. Munitions List cargo generally has an eight-hour deadline. Carriers may not load cargo without the required AES filing citation or exemption legend. CBP says it intends to use the test results to support future rulemaking that would require advance electronic export manifests for international truck shipments.
Driver and fleet takeaway
Nonparticipating carriers should continue following current AES, waybill and export-document procedures; this announcement alone does not create a new filing deadline for every truck. Fleets considering the pilot should verify ACE transmission capability, assign responsibility for corrections and holds, and obtain accurate shipper data early enough to meet the 24-hour submission. Before dispatch, cross-border drivers should confirm that the bill of lading, cargo description, AES citation or exemption, driver and vehicle identifiers, port and dispatcher contact are correct. Never move cargo subject to a CBP hold or Do Not Load message until the carrier confirms release.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection — Electronic Export Manifest for Truck Cargo Test
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