(The Associated Press distributed the following article on March 4.)
WASHINGTON — New security rules are being delayed for most cargo shippers because the government must adapt its computer software, the Homeland Security Department said Thursday.
The new cargo rules require electronic manifests identifying freight shipped by truck, rail, plane and ship to be sent to customs officials before the goods reach the border.
“We recognized right from the very beginning we had to make the system more efficient,” said John Considine, director of cargo verification for Customs and Border Protection. “We said we would not implement until we made those changes.”
Officials said the electronic information will be compared with law enforcement and commercial databases to target potentially dangerous shipments that need to be inspected. Mislabeled cargo or a shipper’s record of past violations might cause cargo to be labeled high risk.
The rules were supposed to go into effect on Thursday.
Instead, air cargo carriers now have three separate deadlines — in August, October and December — depending on which airports they fly in and out of.
An announcement is expected soon on when the rules for truck and rail cargo take effect, Considine said.
Container ships had to comply with the new rules on Thursday. Considine said 90 percent already send their manifests voluntarily. Ships that carry bulk and break bulk cargo will have a little more time before they have to comply, he said.
Congress ordered the changes last year because of fears that terrorists could smuggle chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons into the country.
Only a tiny percentage of air, rail and truck cargo is currently inspected.