United Parcel Service Inc. has deployed a trade-processing system developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that"s designed to speed up cross-border commerce and improve security at U.S. borders.

UPS worked with customs officials to pilot the system, known as the Automated Commercial Environment, in Blaine, Wash. ACE is part of the agency"s multiyear modernization effort to automate the flow of information about packages approaching U.S. borders, making it easier for agents to decide which packages to inspect, said Rob Papetti, manager of international operations systems at UPS.

As part of the ACE program, an electronic manifest for trucks was introduced in Blaine last December. That new system replaces a paper-based process under which UPS had to submit paper manifests with shipment information to customs agents, who then manually reviewed the manifests and decided which goods to inspect. After that, UPS had to direct its internal information systems to flag the selected goods as they passed through a port so they could be pulled and inspected by agents, he said.

"UPS provides CBP with shipment information electronically through an EDI [electronic data interchange] connection. It also provides information on the vehicle and UPS driver as well as who the goods are going to, who purchased the goods, where they are being delivered and who is exporting them out of the origin country," Papetti said.

The system allows customs agents to quickly verify the legitimacy of vehicles and drivers and to run the shipping data through electronic filters to make inspection selections before a shipment reaches the border. Goods that comply with U.S. laws and aren"t selected for inspection can be expedited, according to UPS.

The company is now working with CBP to deploy ACE at all 11 UPS land-port operations, Papetti said.

Ultimately, customs agents plans to deploy ACE at all of the nation"s approximately 350 land, sea and air ports, he said.