seek and ye shall find (a reg)

International express carrier DHL has launched an online application that offers customers automated global trade and customs clearance information. Called the Trade Automation Service (TAS), the program covers 50 countries and more than eight million trade rules, the company says. The intent, according to DHL, is to provide information needed to help shippers comply with trade tariffs and regulations.

Though DHL says it will eventually charge for the service, shippers can try out the interactive tools right now free of charge. Among other functions, they can use TAS to estimate duties, taxes and other customs-related charges; verify that a shipment complies with country export and import regulations; compare charges and rules between two or more countries; generate documents required for international trade, logistics and customs transactions; search for Harmonized Tariff Code or Export Customer Number commodity codes to enable accurate product classification; and check shipper and receiver details against government lists, embargoes and sanctions.

Additional information is available at www.dhl.com/tas