If the driver is crossing at an ACE implemented port:

After successfully transmitting an e-Manifest, carriers or their agents should provide the driver with a e-Manifest Trip Receipt and/or a CBP Form 7533. U.S. Customs says the driver must have one of the two. We recommend actually carrying both to be on the safe side.

e-Manifest Trip Receipt

The Trip Receipt needs to have the following information, typed/written in at least 22 point type (or printed by hand an equivalent size):

• ACE Electronic Manifest should be written at the top of the receipt.
• The label Trip Number should be followed by your Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC), plus your trip number, which can be up to 16 alpha/numeric characters.
• The label Driver Name followed by actual driver on the trip
• The label Tractor Plate followed by the truck (tractor) license plate number

You can also add the Shipment Control Number/PAPS Number, but do not place any PAPS stickers anywhere on the Trip Receipt. Doing so could cause confusion at the border and possible delay your entry.

Finally, Customs has stated that the e-Manifest Trip Receipt can actually be handwritten. So, in cases where a printed receipt can’t be given to a driver, you can simply provide the required information over the phone and he can create one with just a pen and a piece of paper.

Inward Cargo Manifest (CBP Form 7733)

The U.S. Customs officer may request an Inward Cargo Manifest from the driver, often referred to as a 7533. This paper manifest is maintained as a back-up in the event of problems with e-Manifest submission, system outages, or other instances that may require further inspection.

Greeneye’s Recommendations

If paper invoices and PAPS bar-coded paper manifests are provided to the driver, they should only be give to CBP upon request. We strongly recommend that drivers carry these documents with them, as they can speed up the process of getting through Customs in the event of e-Manifest system problems.

Carriers using Greeneye’s e-Manifest web portal have the ability to print out both a Trip Receipt and an Inward Cargo Manifest (7533) for each trip entered into the system. Please print both and give them to the driver.

If the driver is crossing at a non-ACE implemented port:

After transmitting an e-Manifest, carriers or their agents must still provide the driver with a CBP Form 7533. We also suggest providing the driver with an e-Manifest Trip Receipt to prove that the current Advanced Notice Requirements have been met.

Currently, when a truck approaches the primary booth, the inspector pulls up the e-Manifest information via the primary license plate number of the tractor/vehicle. The inspector then may review the shipments on that e-Manifest as though he or she were working from a paper manifest. In the future, Customs will use transponders carried by vehicles to determine the specific vehicle and pull up the e-Manifest on their screen.

A Manifest provides US Customs information for physical goods moved between a shipper and a deliver to. Generally, an Entry provides US Customs shipment and product level information for financial transactions of goods between a seller and a buyer.

For more details please see our article, Understanding the Difference Between e-Manifests and Customs Entries