ACE eManifest Workflow Preview for Truck Carriers

Prepare US-bound manifest drafts, reuse profiles, and run local preflight checks. Production transmission to CBP is unavailable while certification testing continues.

What Is an ACE eManifest?

ACE — the Automated Commercial Environment — is the US Customs and Border Protection system that handles electronic advance notification for commercial trucks entering the United States. Most non-exempt highway cargo movements from Canada or Mexico require advance ACE data. CBP materials use a standard one-hour interval and a 30-minute interval for qualifying FAST shipments; confirm the current rule and exceptions for each load. The manifest tells CBP who the carrier is, what cargo is on the truck, where it came from, and where it's going — so that customs officers can pre-screen shipments before the truck ever reaches the booth.

Carriers can file ACE manifests through CBP's ACE Truck Manifest Trade Portal or another approved production channel. BorderPro early access focuses on reusable profiles, local preflight checks, multiple draft preparation, and document generation. It does not currently transmit to CBP. BorderPro is built for highway-carrier workflows, not ocean or air freight.

If you also run northbound lanes into Canada, the equivalent Canadian filing is called ACI eManifest — BorderPro can prepare drafts for both in one dashboard. For related release-reference background, see the PARS/PAPS overview; PAPS is the US-bound counterpart commonly associated with ACE cargo.

Preview the BorderPro ACE Workflow

Prepare Reusable Drafts

Save templates and carrier profiles so repeat-trip drafts can be assembled without re-entering the same details.

Preflight Validation

Review draft data against local preflight rules before using an approved production filing channel. Checks do not guarantee acceptance.

Local Workflow Status

Track draft preparation states inside BorderPro. Live submitted, accepted, held, or released status from CBP is not currently available.

Lead Sheet Generation

Generate draft driver documents from prepared manifest data. Verify agency acceptance separately before treating a document as final.

How ACE Preparation Works in Early Access

Prepare and validate locally, then use an approved channel for production filing.

1

Enter Trip Details

Add your carrier SCAC, conveyance, port of entry, and estimated arrival time. Pull from saved profiles in one click.

2

Add Shipments

Enter shipment details manually, import from CSV, or duplicate a previous manifest. Preflight validation runs in real time.

3

Validate the Draft

Run local preflight checks and review the generated draft. This step does not transmit data to CBP.

4

File Through an Approved Channel

Use CBP's portal or another approved provider for the live filing, and rely on that channel for acceptance and release status.

Everything Built In

Features designed around real carrier workflows.

Automated Trip Numbers

System-generated trip numbers follow CBP format rules automatically — no manual tracking needed.

Duplicate Detection

Flags duplicate shipment references in a draft so they can be reviewed before production filing.

Multiple Drafts

Prepare multiple manifest drafts using templates and saved routes without transmitting them to CBP.

Draft Revisions

Prepare and retain local revision history. Submit any live amendment or cancellation through an approved channel.

Multi-User Access

Dispatcher, driver, and admin roles with granular permissions. Everyone sees what they need to see.

ETA Countdown

Visual countdown to border arrival helps dispatchers review the applicable CBP deadline, including the shorter interval for qualifying FAST shipments.

ACE Truck eManifest vs Other ACE Filings

"ACE manifest" is an umbrella term — the rules differ by mode of transport.

CBP's ACE platform accepts advance cargo data for trucks, rail, ocean, and air. Each mode has its own filing format, timing rules, and responsible party — so a "ACE manifest" for a container ship is a different document from an ACE truck eManifest filed by a highway carrier. BorderPro is built specifically for the truck (highway) flow.

Mode Filing Lead time Filer
Truck (highway) ACE Truck eManifest ≥ 1 hour before arrival (30 min for FAST) Highway carrier
Rail ACE Rail eManifest ≥ 2 hours before arrival Rail carrier
Ocean ACE Ocean Manifest (24-Hour Rule) ≥ 24 hours before loading at foreign port Vessel operator (often via NVOCC)
Air ACE Air Manifest (Air AMS) ≥ 4 hours before arrival (or wheels-up for near origins) Air carrier or filing agent

BorderPro early access focuses on preparing truck manifest drafts for highway carriers, owner-operators, and dispatch teams. Production filing remains external while certification testing continues.

ACE Enforcement and Canadian AMPS

Carriers should plan around agency timing, accuracy, and update requirements.

CBSA administers the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) for Canadian requirements, including ACI. CBP enforces separate US requirements for ACE. Consequences and review procedures depend on the applicable requirement, the facts, and current agency guidance. Consult CBSA's AMPS materials and CBP's ACE Truck guidance.

Operational review points include:

  • No required eManifest on file when the truck reaches the booth
  • Late filing — submitted inside the applicable advance interval
  • Inaccurate shipment data — quantity, weight, consignee, or commodity mismatch
  • Failure to update a manifest after a material change (e.g., conveyance swap)
  • Wrong port of entry on the manifest vs the actual crossing

BorderPro's draft checks and ETA workflow can help users review information, but they do not guarantee compliance, acceptance, or avoidance of penalties. See our AMPS penalties guide.

ACE eManifest FAQ

ACE (Automated Commercial Environment) eManifest is the advance-data process used by US Customs and Border Protection for highway cargo entering from Canada or Mexico. Most non-exempt movements require advance manifest data; the standard interval is one hour and qualifying FAST shipments use 30 minutes. Confirm the current CBP rule and exceptions for each load.

You can file ACE eManifests through CBP's free ACE Truck Manifest Trade Portal or through another approved production channel. BorderPro early access can prepare drafts, save profiles, run local preflight checks, and generate draft lead sheets, but it does not currently transmit to CBP while certification testing is pending.

ACE is the US Customs and Border Protection system for shipments entering the United States. ACI (Advance Commercial Information) is the Canada Border Services Agency equivalent for shipments entering Canada. Truck carriers running cross-border lanes typically file both — ACE for southbound trips and ACI for northbound trips.

Yes. CBP requires a valid Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) issued by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) to file ACE eManifests. If you don't have one, you can apply at nmfta.org. BorderPro early access can store the code in a carrier profile for draft preparation.

CBP materials use a standard one-hour interval for ACE truck cargo and 30 minutes for qualifying FAST shipments. Confirm the current requirement and exceptions for each load. BorderPro's early-access dashboard can record the ETA and flag a draft for review, but it does not confirm CBP submission.

Review the rejection through your approved production filing channel, correct the identified data, and follow that channel's resubmission process. BorderPro does not currently receive live CBP rejection responses; its preflight checks apply to local drafts.

Yes. CBP's ACE Truck Manifest Trade Portal is free and supports production ACE filing. BorderPro remains in certification testing, so early-access users must continue using the portal or another approved filing channel for live submissions.

Pricing depends on the provider and filing volume. BorderPro publishes a pre-launch catalog — see the pricing page for current listed rates and the launch-status disclosure, or the deeper breakdown at ACE eManifest cost. Production CBP transmission through BorderPro is not currently available.

ACE Truck eManifest is the highway-carrier flavour of CBP's ACE program. It applies to commercial truck movements entering the US from Canada or Mexico. Most non-exempt loads require advance data, with different standard and qualifying FAST timelines. It is a separate filing from ACE Ocean Manifest (24-hour rule, filed by vessel operators) and ACE Air Manifest (filed by air carriers).

All three flow into CBP's ACE platform but cover different transport modes and have different filers and lead times. See the comparison table above. BorderPro is built specifically for the highway-carrier flow — for ocean or air filings, work with a freight forwarder or specialist filing agent.

The ACE Secure Data Portal is CBP's web interface for ACE workflows, including highway-carrier manifest filing. BorderPro early access is a separate draft-preparation workflow and is not currently a production CBP transmission channel.

AMPS (Administrative Monetary Penalty System) is the Canadian penalty framework, applied by CBSA for ACI violations. CBP runs a parallel framework for ACE on the US side. Any amount depends on the exact violation, facts, and applicable history. BorderPro's draft checks and ETA workflow can help users review information, but they do not guarantee compliance, acceptance, or avoidance of penalties. See our AMPS guide and verify the current agency penalty materials.

Join BorderPro ACE Early Access

Prepare and validate drafts while production CBP transmission remains pending certification.

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