e-Manifest is the electronic cargo manifest required of all commercial trucks and rail operators entering the United States from Canada or Mexico. It is filed in ACE — the Automated Commercial Environment — through the ACE Secure Data Portal or via EDI integration.
Filing deadlines depend on mode:
- Truck — 1 hour before arrival at the border (30 minutes for FAST-program trucks)
- Rail — 2 hours before arrival at the border
The truck e-Manifest replaced paper Form 7533 (Inward Cargo Manifest) in 2007 and is mandatory at every land port of entry. The rail e-Manifest replaced earlier paper-based systems through phased ACE rollout completed in 2015.
Required data includes:
- Carrier SCAC and conveyance details
- Driver name and identification
- Trip number
- Bill of lading numbers
- Shipper and consignee
- Cargo description and quantity
- Trailer or rail car numbers
The truck e-Manifest is the rough land-border counterpart to the AMS vessel manifest and to the ISF — same purpose (advance cargo data for CBP risk targeting), different mode, different timing. CBP's Automated Targeting System (ATS) processes e-Manifest data and can issue inspection holds at the border before the truck arrives.
Penalties for late or missing filings are issued against the carrier under its bond.