It's not every day you get a chance to hear about upcoming policy changes from the people who actually make the decisions. But that's exactly what's in store for attendees at the 12th Annual Northeast Cargo Symposium, an event organized by the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade (CONECT).

At the one-day conference, to be held Nov. 7 in Newton, Mass., U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Tom Winkowski will discuss CBP's trade facilitation initiatives and the agency's increasing involvement in exports. On the same panel, former CBP Commissioner George Weise (now with the consulting firm Sandler & Travis Advisory Services Inc.) will provide an insider's view of changes at CBP and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition to those headliners and a separate panel on customs operations, the agenda includes transportation analyst Adrian Gonzalez speaking on the impact of the new trucking hours-of-service rule on shippers' costs; a session on ocean carrier alliances; and a "reality check" on the state of U.S. imports and exports by Washington, D.C., investigative reporter Greg Rushford.

For more information or to register, go to www.conect.org.