To file an ACE eManifest: create a trip in the ACE portal (or via EDI/third-party), add the conveyance (tractor plate, VIN, DOT), add the driver (name, licence number, travel doc), add the shipment (SCN, shipper, consignee, commodity, PAPS barcode), add the trailer, and transmit. The whole sequence must complete at least one hour before the truck arrives at the US port of entry — measured from when CBP receives the transmission, not when the driver leaves the yard.
TL;DR
- ACE eManifest filing has five data steps in order: trip, conveyance, shipment(s), trailer, transmit. Missing any one blocks transmission or triggers a hold at primary.
- The 1-hour rule is hard: CBP must receive the transmission at least 60 minutes before the truck arrives at the port. File at dispatch-out, not when the driver is 45 minutes from the bridge.
- The PAPS barcode on your manifest must exactly match the one on the shipping documents and the one filed by the customs broker. A single digit off sends the driver to secondary.
- Most carriers with regular cross-border volume use a third-party service or EDI integration rather than the ACE web portal. Manual portal entry is practical for a few manifests a week; it breaks down fast at volume.
Before you file: prerequisites
Before a single manifest goes out, four things need to be in place. Most carriers treat these as one-time setup; they still need periodic maintenance.
SCAC (Standard Carrier Alpha Code). Two-to-four-letter code assigned by the NMFTA. CBP requires a SCAC to identify the carrier on ACE filings. Apply at nmfta.org. Annual renewal required — an expired SCAC causes ACE submissions to be rejected. Assign someone specific to manage the renewal, not a generic inbox.
CBP carrier bond (Type 2). $25,000 minimum face value. Required before CBP accepts ACE transmissions. Annual renewal. The customs bond trucking guide covers face value sizing and surety options.
ACE portal account (if filing via web portal). Register at ace.cbp.dhs.gov. Provide SCAC, USDOT, and business details. CBP reviews and approves in 1-2 weeks. For EDI or third-party filing, the service provider handles the CBP connection under their own account; your carrier credentials are still required as data elements.
Driver and conveyance on file. The ACE portal lets you pre-load driver profiles (licence number, travel document type and number, FAST card ID if applicable) and conveyance records (tractor VIN, plate, DOT). Pre-loading these saves significant time per filing and reduces transcription errors. Update driver records immediately when a travel document changes.
For an overview of where ACE fits in the broader cross-border compliance stack, see the ACE eManifest overview guide and the cross-border trucking Canada-US playbook.
Step 1: Create the trip
The trip is the top-level record that ties everything together. In the ACE portal, navigate to the eManifest section and create a new trip.
Trip number. Carrier-assigned, must be unique per carrier SCAC per 30-day rolling window. Most carriers use a structured format combining date and sequence: ABCD-20260419-001. Using the dispatch load number works too, as long as it doesn't get reused within 30 days. Trip number reuse is a common error that causes CBP to flag the submission as a duplicate — the original manifest is not overwritten, the new one is rejected.
Port of entry. Select the US port of entry where the truck will cross. Use the correct port code — if the driver plans to cross at Port Huron (Blue Water Bridge) but the manifest shows Detroit (Ambassador Bridge), CBP will flag a port mismatch. If routing changes after filing, amend the manifest.
Estimated date and time of arrival. Enter the time the truck is expected to present at the primary inspection booth, not when it leaves the yard. Be realistic — CBP uses the arrival time to calculate whether the 1-hour advance filing requirement was met.
Step 2: Add the conveyance
The conveyance is the power unit — the tractor. Trailer is entered separately in Step 4.
Licence plate. Province/state of registration and plate number. If pre-loaded in a conveyance record, select from the list. Verify it matches the actual tractor being dispatched; swapping tractors after filing without amending is a common source of conveyance mismatches at the booth.
VIN. Vehicle Identification Number of the tractor. CBP records VINs for risk assessment purposes. Enter the full 17-character VIN — partial entries or transpositions cause submission errors.
DOT number. FMCSA USDOT number for the carrier. This must match the USDOT number on the carrier's CBP bond.
Driver information. In the same conveyance section, add the driver:
- Full legal name as it appears on the travel document.
- Date of birth.
- Travel document type (passport, FAST card, NEXUS card for personal use — note that NEXUS does not authorize commercial FAST lane use; drivers need a separate FAST card for that).
- Travel document number.
- FAST card number, if applicable.
Pre-loaded driver profiles in ACE eliminate the risk of transcribing a passport number wrong during a busy dispatch shift.
Step 3: Add the shipment(s)
The shipment section is where most filing errors occur and most holds originate. A single manifest can carry multiple shipments — one per PAPS entry.
Shipment Control Number (SCN). Unique identifier for the shipment within the manifest. Format: SCAC (4 characters) + up to 12 alphanumeric characters. Example: ABCD202604190001. The SCN connects the manifest shipment record to the customs entry on the broker side. It must be unique per trip. Reusing an SCN from a previous load is a guaranteed submission error.
Shipper. Full legal name and address of the party shipping the goods. Must match the commercial invoice. "ABC Auto Parts" when the invoice says "ABC Automotive Parts Inc." is technically a mismatch; CBP officers have discretion on how aggressively to hold on minor name variations, but the safe approach is to match exactly.
Consignee. Full legal name and address of the receiving party in the US. For loads going to a distribution centre, use the DC's legal name, not the parent company's brand name.
Commodity description. This is where vague entries get loads held. "Auto parts" is not a commodity description. "Steel brake rotors for passenger vehicles, HS 8708.30.50" is. CBP uses commodity data for risk assessment — a generic description signals that more inspection is warranted. Specific descriptions with HS codes clear primary faster.
HS code. 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule (US HTS) code is required for most goods. The first 6 digits are internationally standardized; digits 7-10 are US-specific. For CUSMA-origin goods, the HS code determines which rules of origin apply. Your customs broker assigns HS codes; carriers should request them from brokers for repeat commodity types and store them in the TMS.
Quantity and weight. Piece count and gross weight in the declared unit. Weight discrepancies of more than 10% from actual frequently trigger inspections.
PAPS barcode. The PAPS (Pre-Arrival Processing System) barcode links the ACE manifest shipment to the customs entry the broker pre-filed on the importer's behalf. The broker provides the PAPS number when they file the entry. Enter the number exactly — scan the barcode if possible, do not re-key. A single digit transposition means the manifest and entry don't match, and the driver goes to secondary. See the PARS/PAPS explained guide for how the full barcode flow works.
Country of origin. The country where the goods were manufactured or last substantially transformed. Required for every shipment. For CUSMA-origin goods, enter CA (Canada) or MX (Mexico) as appropriate and ensure the commercial invoice carries the CUSMA origin certification statement.
Step 4: Add the trailer
The trailer is a separate record from the conveyance (tractor) in ACE.
Trailer plate. Province/state of registration and plate number. Same principle as the tractor — must match the actual trailer being dispatched.
Empty vs. loaded. Mark the trailer as loaded if it's carrying commercial goods covered by the manifest. An "empty" trailer with goods listed on the manifest is an immediate discrepancy.
Seal number. If the trailer is sealed — which it should be for most commercial cross-border loads — enter the seal number. The officer at primary will verify the seal matches. A broken or missing seal that was declared on the manifest triggers a secondary exam.
If the trailer is a drop-trailer or an intermodal chassis, note the equipment type accurately. CBP tracks equipment at the granular level.
Step 5: Transmit (and the 1-hour rule)
With trip, conveyance, shipment(s), and trailer complete, transmit the manifest. In the ACE portal, a final review screen shows all entered data. Verify before hitting transmit — amendments after transmission are possible but add time.
What "1 hour before arrival" literally means. CBP's timestamp is when they receive the electronic transmission, not when the carrier clicks submit, and not when the truck reaches a certain distance from the border. The clock runs from CBP receipt to truck presenting at primary inspection. A manifest submitted at 9:03 AM for a 10:00 AM arrival has 57 minutes — that's non-compliant. Build a buffer. The standard practice for professional cross-border operations is to file at dispatch-out, typically 2-6 hours before arrival.
Confirmation. ACE returns a message with a status: accepted (transmission received), or error (data issue requiring correction). An accepted confirmation is not the same as a release — CBP is still processing the risk assessment. Check manifest status before the truck approaches the port.
If you're late. If the truck is already within the 1-hour window and the manifest isn't filed, file immediately anyway. A late manifest with all data correct is better than no manifest. At some ports, CBP will process a late manifest if the truck hasn't yet reached primary. Expect a delay and, potentially, a penalty. Do not let the driver cross without a manifest — that triggers a "failure to file" penalty of up to $5,000 per occurrence.
Amendments. If anything changes after transmission — different driver, different tractor, trailer swap, additional shipment — amend before arriving. CBP will compare the manifest against what presents at the booth. Amendments are allowed and expected; arriving with a known discrepancy and not amending is what causes holds and penalties.
Common errors and how to fix them
Mismatched SCN. The Shipment Control Number on the manifest doesn't match what the broker filed under the PAPS entry. Usually happens when a dispatcher manually enters the SCN rather than pulling it from the broker's confirmation. Fix: copy-paste or scan the broker's SCN directly into the manifest field; never re-key.
Missing or wrong HS code. CBP increasingly requires 10-digit HTS codes. A missing HS code on a shipment flags it for secondary review. An incorrect HS code can result in duty miscalculation and post-entry penalties for the importer. Fix: maintain a TMS commodity code library. For new shippers, request the HS code from the broker before dispatch-out.
Expired bond. The CBP carrier bond renews annually. When the bond lapses, ACE submissions are rejected outright — the carrier gets an error response and the manifest never enters CBP's system. Fix: calendar the bond renewal 60 days before expiry, assign it to a named person, confirm with the surety that the renewal is processed (not just invoiced).
Trip number reuse. A dispatcher reuses a trip number from 10 days ago because they reset the daily counter. CBP flags it as a duplicate. Fix: use date-prefixed trip numbers that physically cannot repeat within a 30-day window. SCAC-YYYYMMDD-NNN format achieves this.
Conveyance mismatch at the booth. The manifest shows tractor ABC123 but the driver pulled unit XYZ456 because the original was in the shop. No one amended the manifest. The officer at primary sees the mismatch and directs to secondary. Fix: build an amendment step into the dispatch workflow for any tractor swap after a manifest has been transmitted. The amendment takes 5 minutes in the portal; the secondary exam takes 2-4 hours.
Wrong port of entry. Driver was supposed to cross at Lacolle-Champlain but decided to use the Thousand Islands Bridge instead. Port codes don't match. Some officers will process with a noted discrepancy; others send to secondary. Fix: port amendments are straightforward — do it the moment routing changes.
Driver travel document mismatch. The driver's name on the manifest says "James R. Smith" but the passport says "James Robert Smith." CBP name matching can be strict. Fix: always use the exact name as it appears on the travel document. Pre-loaded driver profiles that were verified at onboarding prevent this.
Filing ACE at volume? BorderPro.ai auto-generates ACE eManifests from your TMS dispatch data — no re-keying, no portal copy-paste, no 1-hour panic.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance do I need to transmit an ACE manifest?
CBP requires receipt of the manifest at least 1 hour before the truck arrives at the port of entry. In practice, most professional operations file 2-6 hours in advance — or at dispatch-out for same-day loads. Filing at the 1-hour mark leaves no room for correction if CBP returns an error. Late transmission (under 1 hour) exposes the carrier to penalties up to $5,000 per occurrence and results in manual processing at the booth.
What happens if I file an ACE manifest late?
CBP can assess liquidated damages of up to $5,000 per late filing. More immediately, a late manifest means the shipment drops out of pre-clearance processing — the CBP officer at primary has to run a manual lookup rather than receiving a pre-cleared release response. Expect a 30-minute to 4-hour delay depending on port volume. Repeat late filers see increased exam rates and risk action against their bond.
Can I file ACE myself or do I need a third-party service?
Carriers can file directly through the ACE Secure Data Portal (ace.cbp.dhs.gov) after registering for an account. For 1-5 manifests per week, manual portal filing is manageable. Above that volume, manual entry is a labour cost that quickly exceeds the subscription cost of a third-party service or EDI connection. Third-party providers also handle error recovery, amendment workflows, and status monitoring — the parts of ACE filing that consume the most dispatcher time.
What is the difference between ACE manifest and PAPS?
ACE eManifest is the carrier's filing: it declares who is hauling, what equipment is being used, who the driver is, and what freight is on the trailer. PAPS (Pre-Arrival Processing System) is the customs entry the importer's broker files in advance: it declares what the goods are, what duty applies, and who the importer of record is. The PAPS barcode links the two. At primary, CBP scans the PAPS barcode, retrieves the broker's entry, matches it against the carrier's manifest, and if everything aligns, issues a release. The manifest without the PAPS entry is incomplete; the PAPS entry without a matching manifest leaves the shipment in limbo.
Can I edit an ACE manifest after transmission?
Yes. Amendments are allowed at any point before the truck presents at primary inspection. In the ACE portal, locate the transmitted manifest, select amend, make the change, and retransmit. CBP timestamps amendments. Common legitimate amendments include tractor swaps, driver changes, additional shipments added to a load, and port of entry corrections. Arriving at the booth with known discrepancies — a tractor that changed, an extra shipment added — without amending first is what causes holds and penalties, not the change itself.