Great Links and Great Training

Great Links + Great Training + Compliance = Success

You read that right.

If you are within Trade Compliance, it’s a MUST-HAVE to keep a list of great links saved on your computer so you can just click on them and get to the information as soon as it’s needed.

In today’s Newsletter, I want to lay out some amazing links which have helped me tremendously throughout my career so far. These links have helped get further than everyone around me, get ready for great interviews, and understand what I need to learn to go even further. But before that, let’s talk about Trainings…

Upcoming Training:

As promised, you will always be the first to know what type of Trainings I’m planning to put up on the website. If you are a Customs Broker and you want to learn how to make yourself visible and sell to Trade Compliance teams within multi-billion-dollar companies, you won’t be disappointed. This training will be a full-blown 8-10 hours training program for your salespeople. In my Trade Compliance life, I’ve worked in companies worth billions of dollars. I know what people in my seat are looking for, how you can show yourself to me(s) of the world, and what I want in my Customs Broker. It’s all going to be in there.

So keep an eye out and if you want to reach more customers, check out the training when it’s posted on www.virktradecompliance.com !

Links Section:

Here is a list of link which I could not survive without when I started within the Trade Compliance world. Honestly, without these, I’d be on the road. Use them until you can’t anymore!

US HS Book: https://hts.usitc.gov/

US ICPs: https://www.cbp.gov/trade/rulings/informed-compliance-publications

US Customs Regulations: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I

US Rulings: https://rulings.cbp.gov/home

CA HS Book: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-commerce/tariff-tarif/2023/menu-eng.html

CA Customs Regulations: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/menu-eng.html

Trade Agreement Tracker: https://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicMaintainRTAHome.aspx

Tips on Staying Compliant

Look, I get it. Most of us are spread very thin. There is SO much to do and little or not time to do it all. That is why, you need to pick your battles. Trade Compliance is a long game. What you can’t do this year, you will do next year - it’s a journey (think Bilbo Baggin with Gandalf). You are Bilbo, and Customs is Gandalf. You can’t expect yourself to reach your goal without some hardships - and that is OK.

Choose few big topics to start each year, and work to implement those topics. I have a little list for some of the stuff you can integrate (and show off to your manager once you start - remember, SHOWING what you do is the most important in a job).

1. ISF audits - If you’re in the US, check out the ISF report on the ACE Portal. (If you don’t have an ACE account, MAKE ONE!). Customs is really focusing on those late filings nowadays. You need to file ISF timely to avoid all that penalty.

2. Have a monthly list of HTS codes the company used for Entries that month and see what HTS codes are added each month. With any new HTS codes, check why they showed up.

3. Even if are not CTPAT certified, do a CTPAT like training for your Logistics - you’ll note what’s wrong with your supply chain and fix some of the stuff before the issues become even bigger.

Hope you enjoyed this newsletter! If you haven’t subscribe yet - do subscribe by putting your email and hitting subscribe!

Best,

Nadeem Virk