Urgent Notice - Inaccurate Commodity Descriptions for Cross-Border Shipments Causing Railcar Rejections and Monetary Penalties for Customers

As communicated, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), require that all cross-border shipments (to the U.S. and Canada) include complete, accurate and detailed commodity descriptions. Shipments to and from Mexico are regulated under Carta Porte.

Currently, non-compliance with guidelines is leading to railcar rejections and monetary penalties to our customers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), due to incorrect or missing shipment details, such as commodity descriptions and seal information. Please ensure all cross-border shipment details are accurate and complete to avoid further penalties and issues. If you have questions or need any clarifications, please contact your BNSF marketing representative or BNSF Customer Support via Message Us (registration and login required) or call 1-888-428-2673 (when prompted, say "Mexico" or "Canada").

As a reminder, to comply with the CBP and CBSA requirements, please ensure the following for commodity descriptions on all cross-border shipments to the U.S. and Canada:

• Shipping Instructions: Provide clear and detailed descriptions for CBP and CBSA to easily identify the commodity's specific characteristics.
• Electronic Data Interchange (EDI 404) transmission (the L5 Segment and 02 element): The commodity description field should only contain a clear and concise description, excluding unnecessary details such as packing type or carrier disclaimer.

Please use specific descriptions for freight, like "brake pads" instead of "auto parts" or "dresses" instead of "women's apparel" or "hydraulic cement" instead of "HYD CMT" or "Wheat" instead of "Grain Product". Avoid abbreviations or vague terms, and ensure all descriptions are in English to prevent rejections.

For a comprehensive list of acceptable cargo descriptions, please refer to the CBP and CBSA websites:

• CBP: Unacceptable vs. Acceptable Cargo Descriptions (CBP accepts Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers up to the 6-digit level for commodity classification)
• CBSA: Detailed commodity descriptions (commercial reporting requirements)

Your business is important to us. Thank you for choosing BNSF Railway as your transportation service provider.