ACE truck eManifest: Advance Filing Rules for Highway Carriers
Key Points
- The ACE truck eManifest is the carrier's electronic manifest, not the importer's entry, and CBP must receive it before the truck arrives at a U.S. land border port.
- Under 19 CFR 123.92, the manifest is due one hour before arrival, or 30 minutes before arrival for FAST participants.
- The carrier or its service provider files through the ACE portal or by EDI, and each shipment carries a shipment control number that the broker's pre-filed entry must match.
- Most border delays trace to mismatched shipment control numbers, manifests filed inside the advance window, the wrong crossing port, or in-bond moves left off the manifest.
On this page
- At a glance
- What is the ACE truck eManifest?
- When must the ACE truck eManifest be filed?
- Who is responsible for the ACE truck eManifest?
- How the ACE truck eManifest is filed and matched to the entry
- Common ACE truck eManifest errors
- How the ACE truck eManifest interacts with other ACE functions
- Frequently asked questions
- What importers and brokers should do
- Key references
The ACE truck eManifest (ACE e-Manifest: Trucks) is the electronic manifest that highway carriers transmit to CBP before a truck arrives at a U.S. land border port, carrying conveyance, crew, equipment and shipment data. Carriers and their service providers file it, and the broker's release filing keys off it, so it sits at the very front of the entry lifecycle, before arrival and before release. This reference reflects the rules as of October 2026.
The links in this article go to the primary documents: the regulations and official CBP pages themselves. Read the source.
At a glance
- Full name: ACE e-Manifest: Trucks
- Who prepares or uses it: Highway carriers or their service providers file it; customs brokers match their entries to it; CBP reviews it
- When in the lifecycle: Before arrival at the U.S. land border port, ahead of cargo release
- System or channel: ACE portal or EDI
- Governing authority: 19 CFR 123.92, advance electronic information for truck cargo
- Advance timing: One hour before arrival; 30 minutes for FAST participants
- Related terms: ACE Cargo Release, ACE in-bond, disposition codes, proxy TAO
What is the ACE truck eManifest?
The ACE truck eManifest is the carrier's advance declaration of the truck, its driver and crew, its trailer or other equipment, and each shipment on board. It tells CBP who and what is coming to a specific land border port before the truck reaches the booth.
The manifest is a carrier obligation. It is separate from the importer's entry, which describes the goods for duty and admissibility purposes. The two filings meet through the shipment control number: every shipment on the manifest carries one, and the broker references the same number when filing the release. Processing programs such as PAPS (Pre-Arrival Processing System), BRASS (Border Release Advanced Screening and Selection) and FAST (Free and Secure Trade) all key off the manifest data, as do in-bond releases.
When must the ACE truck eManifest be filed?
The ACE truck eManifest must reach CBP within the advance window that 19 CFR 123.92 sets for truck cargo: no later than one hour before the truck arrives at the port, or no later than 30 minutes before arrival for FAST participants.
The clock runs to arrival at the U.S. port, so a manifest submitted while the driver is already in the approach lane is late even if it transmits successfully. Carriers should confirm in the current regulation which participants qualify for the shorter FAST window and how arrival is measured for their crossing.
Who is responsible for the ACE truck eManifest?
Responsibility for the ACE truck eManifest rests with the highway carrier, which can file directly or through a service provider acting for it. The broker does not file the manifest, but the broker's work depends on it.
The carrier's role
The carrier assigns shipment control numbers, enters the conveyance, crew and equipment details, names the arrival port and transmits the manifest. If the carrier uses the ACE portal, the account's users and permissions may be managed by a proxy TAO (ACE Trade Account Owner proxy), a user the Trade Account Owner designates to manage those users on the owner's behalf. See our article on the proxy TAO role.
The broker's role
The broker receives the shipment control number from the carrier or shipper and uses it when filing the release ahead of arrival. When the manifest and the entry agree, the driver can receive a release on arrival.
How the ACE truck eManifest is filed and matched to the entry
The ACE truck eManifest travels through one of two channels: the ACE portal for manual entry, or EDI for carriers and service providers with automated systems. Information on ACE channels is on CBP's ACE and automated systems page.
At the port, CBP links the manifest to the broker's pre-filed release through the shipment control number. Under ACE Cargo Release (the ACE transaction, successor to the paper CBP Form 3461 and the ACS Simplified Entry, through which the broker transmits the data CBP needs to decide release), CBP returns disposition codes (ACE cargo release disposition codes describing whether cargo is released, held, documents required, subject to PGA action or canceled). Brokers and carriers read those codes to decide whether the truck can move. The code values themselves are published in CATAIR Appendix B (Valid Codes, the ACE ABI CATAIR appendix listing code values used across ABI transactions); confirm current values there rather than relying on memory.
Shipments moving under bond are shown on the ACE truck eManifest as in-bond moves and tie into ACE in-bond (the electronic in-bond system for moving unentered merchandise under bond between ports or to export).
Common ACE truck eManifest errors
ACE truck eManifest errors usually surface at the booth as a truck that cannot be released, which means driver detention, missed delivery windows and rework for both carrier and broker. The BRIEF does not set penalty amounts here; confirm any liability exposure with CBP or in the current regulation.
- Mismatched shipment control numbers: the number on the manifest differs from the one on the broker's entry, so ACE cannot link them.
- Late filing: the manifest is filed inside the one hour, or 30 minute FAST, advance window.
- Wrong crossing port: the manifest names a port other than the one the driver actually uses.
- In-bond moves not shown: a shipment moving under bond is missing from the manifest, breaking the link to the in-bond record.
Brokers whose ABI release filings repeatedly fail to match should involve their ABI client rep (the CBP Office of Trade contact who handles the filer's ACE connectivity, testing, certification and production issues) when the cause looks technical rather than a data entry slip.
How the ACE truck eManifest interacts with other ACE functions
The ACE truck eManifest is the arrival-side anchor for several later ACE functions, even though those functions belong to the importer and broker rather than the carrier.
- DIS: Document Image System (DIS), CBP's ACE channel for transmitting document images tied to an entry, in-bond or PGA line, is used when CBP asks for supporting documents after a hold. See our DIS guide.
- ACE AD/CVD case management: the ACE function publishing Commerce's antidumping and countervailing duty case data that brokers key on entry lines; it matters to the entry, not the manifest.
- ACE reconciliation: ACE Reconciliation (entry type 09), under which an importer flags an entry summary for later reconciliation, happens long after the manifest stage.
- ACE protest module: the ACE Protest module, through which protests are filed and tracked, addresses post-liquidation disputes on the entry, not manifest data.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ACE truck eManifest the same as the customs entry?
No. The ACE truck eManifest is the carrier's declaration of the conveyance and shipments; the entry is the broker's or importer's filing for release and duty. They connect through the shipment control number.
How far ahead must the ACE truck eManifest be filed?
Under 19 CFR 123.92, the ACE truck eManifest is due one hour before arrival, or 30 minutes before arrival for FAST participants. Confirm current requirements in the regulation.
Can a broker file the ACE truck eManifest?
The ACE truck eManifest is a carrier filing, made by the carrier or a service provider acting for it. Whether a particular broker can act as that service provider is something to confirm with CBP.
Why was the truck held even though the ACE truck eManifest was accepted?
Acceptance of the ACE truck eManifest does not mean release. Check that the broker's entry uses the same shipment control number and port, then read the disposition codes returned on the release.
What importers and brokers should do
- Get the shipment control number from the carrier before filing the release, and verify it character by character against the manifest.
- Confirm the crossing port with the carrier so the manifest and entry name the same port.
- Ask carriers to file the ACE truck eManifest well ahead of the one hour or 30 minute FAST window rather than at the deadline.
- Make sure any in-bond move is shown on the manifest and matches the ACE in-bond record.
Key references
- 19 CFR 123.92: advance electronic information for truck cargo, including the one hour and 30 minute FAST timing.
- CBP ACE and automated systems: CBP's landing page for ACE, including the portal and EDI channels for the truck manifest.
- ACE AD/CVD Case Management: our reference on case numbers and entry lines.
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