FreightStream ACI Web Application
Operating Manual
Version 1.3
4/14/2009
Table of Contents
To access the FreightStream ACI web application, enter the following URL into your web browser
This web based application is only available for those who are NVOCC’s who are ACI participants who require filing with the Canadian customs.
You can register your Shipper, Consignee, Notification and Agent company information in this section. By doing this, you can avoid having to re-enter the information each time a shipper or consignee books a shipment. Later you will be able to select the necessary company information by using our search feature on designated input fields. If this is your first time using the ACI web application, there will be no company data.
Click the “Add” button on the top right of the company tab.
When you click the “Add” button, a window will open allowing you to input you customer company information. Fill out the necessary fields and click “Save” once you are finished.
It is important to note, that each field must not exceed 35 letters including spaces and special characters.
Port, Carrier, Vessel, and Unit Setup
You can customize the information shown in the ACI web application by changing the settings in the Port, Carrier, Vessel and Unit setup section. Each section is divided into two different parts. The “Stock” list is managed by the FreightStream program and contains the entire list of information for that section. In order to customize the list, you will need to move the selected information from the “Stock” list into the “Selected” list.
For Port Information, you may search by either port name, or port code.
For Carrier information, you may search by either carrier name or SCAC code.
For Vessel information, you may search by either vessel name or Lloyd code.
For Unit information, you may search by either the customs assigned code, or the name.
You can setup sub users who can access the ACI web application using their own login and password which you specify. A sub user can only manage the data that they input. However, once an ACI filing has been transmitted, it is up to the sub user to have their US Agent follow up and take care of the Vessel Arrival, Delete, Amend, etc…
At the bottom of the Setup tab, you will see the Sub Users sections. Click on “Add” to open the sub users’ panel.
Fill out the necessary information. You can set permissions by checking off the fields that specify which level of access you’d like to give to your sub users.
Once the sub user is successfully added, their username will appear under the sub users section
The first step to creating an ACI file is to create the Voyage and vessel information. You will need to complete this step before creating any B/L data.
To begin the process, click the “Add” button after selecting the Voyage tab from the main menu. The screen will open up to the window you see below.
You will need to enter in the relevant information and then click “Save” when you are finished. You will then be taken to the main Voyage tab where you can begin entering the MBL or HBL or edit the details for the voyage you just entered.
In the Master B/L section, you only need to input the information related to a Master B/L, such as MBL #, Booking # and vessel and discharge port. This information I used again the HBL so you do not need to do double input.
To Begin, Click on the MBL link under the Voyage menu. You will then need to click the “Add” button to open a new Master B/L. After Clicking “Add” you will be taken to the screen shown below.
All the fields labeled in Red are required and must be populated for a successful submission to Customs. The other fields are optional, but the information can be transferred into our FreightStream Logistics Management software for management purposes.
You may also add container information that is associated with the MBL. Click on the “Add Container” button to enter in the container #, and the seal numbers (if any) as well as selecting the container type.
Be sure to click “Update” to commit your changes to the system.
Once you have entered all the information, be sure to click “Save” to finalize the information entered into the MBL
To begin entering the House B/L information for the selected MBL, you will need to click on the HBL link located under the Master B/L menu. You will then need to click “Add” in the upper right hand part of the screen.
The ACI House B/L section is divided into 3 different parts. There is the ACI Status, Master B/L info and House B/L info.
The ACI status field is used to show the process messages returned by Customs after your ACI filing has been submitted.
The Master B/L information is linked for the MBL section that was filled in earlier. You do not need to reenter this information again.
All the fields labeled in red are mandatory for ACI; this includes the information contained with the “Container” and “Hazardous Materials” section. All other fields are optional; however the data inputted gets transferred into our FreightStream Logistics Management software for management purposes.
The House B/L number always begins with the SCAC code of the company filing the ACI entry. The rest of the number is a special number generated by Customs and most not exceed 12 digits
The Shipper, Consignee and Notify name can be inputted either manually, or by using the magnifying glass to search based on the company information already entered in the company information section of the customer database.
Customs has decided the “To Order” shipments will be acceptable in the consignee field. However, this field must contain “To Order of (actual name of the entity)” and the address. The “Notify Name” section must then also contain the actual consignee with the corresponding US name and address. Customs also recognizes that for FROB cargo, the actual consignee will not be located in Canada. In this scenario, you must enter the actual consignee name and foreign address for the entity that is requesting FROB. In any other instance, the shipment must contain an actual consignee name and address.
Entering the container information is mandatory and multiple containers is acceptable under a House B/L #
You can bring up the add container function by clicking “Add Container Info”
The Container number “must not exceed 11 digits.”
HTS Number: Input is pursuant to Schedule B. However do not input anything if you’re unsure because it is optional and not checked with customs.
Description: It’s mandatory and important.
PKGs: Number of packages, do not use decimal points.
Input Marks an Original House B/L section or actual shipment.
Unit: Selection based on options selected from “Setup Section”
Weight & Unit: Either in kilograms or pounds is acceptable. Do not use decimal points.
Volume & Unit: Either in cubic meters (CBM) or cubic feed (CFT) is acceptable
Value: It is optional.
If part of your shipment contains hazardous material, you may add this information by clicking the “Add Hazardous Material” button.
Additional House Bill charges and Memo’s can be added per MBL or HBL. Once you have entered the necessary information, you will need to click “Update” to save the information.
To begin transmitting ACI filings to Customs, click on the transmit tab under the main menu. From here you will need to click on the “Send” button for the selected ACI filing you are trying to send.
Once you have clicked on the “Send” button the screen will change and verify that you want to send the ACI filing you have selected. From this screen you can also edit the voyage, master or house sections by clicking on the corresponding link.
To finalize your submission to Customs, click on the “Transport to US Customs”
To Access the reporting function of the ACI web Application, click the “Report” tab under the main menu.
You will then need to select the type of report you would like. Enter the timeframe using MMDDYYYY as the date format.
The application will then bring up a window with the report for the timeframe specified.
Customs will give a response to each B/L that is filed and the ACI system will change what it displays based on those responses. The definition of each of these status responses is below;
Voyage:
Label |
Description |
Yellow |
The ACI entry has been submitted and pending Customs response |
Tan |
The ACI entry has incomplete information and is not filed with Customs |
Green |
The ACI entry has been accepted by Customs |
Blue |
ACI entry has been amended successfully |
Purple |
User has deleted the ACI entry |
Red |
Rejected ACI entries |
Teal |
Bookmarked ACI entry |
The voyage section will also list the number of B/L’s that it contains along with the status of the B/L’s. The definition for the voyage section is given below.
Label |
Description |
White |
There are new Master or House B/L’s for that ACI entry |
Yellow |
The ACI entry has B/L’s submitted and is pending customs response |
Green |
The ACI entry has been accepted by Customs |
Red |
Rejected Entries |
Purple |
User has deleted the entry |
Black |
Cargo is unable to be loaded |
Green |
Cargo has been cleared to load |
Master B/L:
See the definitions for Voyage
See the definitions for Voyage:
House B/L:
Label |
Description |
Yellow |
The HBL entry has been submitted and is pending Customs response |
Tan |
The HBL entry has incomplete information and is not filed with Customs |
Green |
The HBL entry has been accepted by customs |
Blue |
The HBL entry has been amended successfully |
Purple |
User deleted HBL entry |
Red |
Rejected HBL entry from Customs |
Teal |
User has bookmarked HBL entry |
Black |
A container has been flagged as “Do Not Load” |
If you’d like to avoid heavy data input by a user, FreightStream offers the ability to upload a flat text file to input multiple ACI entries.
In order to do this, we require that your data be formatted according to our specifications. Please contact us to receive a sample text file that you can use as a guideline.
If you have a compatible text file, you may upload by following the instructions detailed below.
Once logged in, click on the “EDI” tab to bring up the upload utility. Once it is loaded, click on “browse” to bring up the windows explorer.
You will then need to navigate to the location where you have saved your text file that is going to be uploaded. Once you have selected it, click on “Open” to continue.
After the windows explorer closes, and if you are ready, click on the “Upload” button to transmit your flat text EDI file to us. Depending on the size of the file, it may take a moment or two for the transmission to complete.
Contact Us
If you have any questions please contact us and we will do our best to assist you.
http://aci.freightstream.com
http://www.freightstream.com