But as the logistics landscape becomes more digitised, the opportunity for smarter, more automated customs management is growing. Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation tools are helping freight forwarders reduce manual workload, improve compliance, and gain better visibility across shipments.
At ALS Customs Services, we help forwarders leverage these technologies not just to simplify customs — but to turn it into a competitive advantage.
Why Customs Clearance Is Ripe for Automation
Manual customs processes mean endless data entry, fragmented documents, and email chains — leading to delays, costly errors, and unhappy customers, especially across multiple countries and systems. AI-driven customs automation addresses these challenges by:
- Extracting structured data from commercial invoices and packing lists
- Populating import, export, and transit declarations
- Simplifying communication through one single point of contact
This shift to automation helps forwarders save time, reduce risk, and ensure consistency across declarations. More importantly, it frees up operational teams to focus on higher-value tasks, such as exception handling or client communication.
At ALS, we use our automation platform, Mota, to power these processes — ensuring data flows cleanly from document to declaration, with quality control checks built in.
Reducing Errors and Delay in Customs Declarations
Classification errors, mismatched values, and incomplete documentation are common causes of shipment delays. Automation helps mitigate these issues by enforcing structure and standardisation in how data is captured and applied.
Instead of interpreting each document manually, AI can:
- Identify the relevant data points from trade documents
- Apply consistent logic to how that data is used
- Flag missing or conflicting information before submission
Combined with expert oversight, this creates a more reliable process that supports compliance across jurisdictions — including under evolving systems like the EU’s Union Customs Code (UCC) and the UK’s CDS.
Integration and Real-Time Visibility
For many freight forwarders, customs clearance can feel like a blind spot. Once documents are sent, it’s often unclear when declarations are submitted, whether they’ve been accepted, or when final clearance documents will be available. This lack of visibility makes it difficult to keep clients informed and creates uncertainty across the supply chain.
With Mota, ALS provides complete transparency to freight forwarders and their clients by:
- Integrate their operations with ALS for a smoother, end-to-end customs process
- Receive shipment data once and turning it inot validated, compliant declarations
- Submitting clearance documents for record-keeping to clients
We provide this through Mota’s visibility tools, which offer dashboards and alerts that keep forwarders informed — without the need for constant back-and-forth communication.
This level of transparency builds trust and helps forwarders better manage expectations across the supply chain.
Practical Benefits for Freight Forwarders
For freight forwarders, the real impact of AI and automation in customs clearance comes down to outcomes:
- Less time spent on routine paperwork
- Higher accuracy and lower risk of customs rejections or fines
- Faster movement of goods through customs
- More capacity to focus on exceptions and customer service
- Immediate access to clearance documents
In an industry where small delays can mean lost revenue, the ability to process shipments quickly and accurately is a key differentiator.
Why ALS?
At ALS, we work closely with freight forwarders to design and deliver customs solutions that fit their operations. Our automation capabilities — including tools like Mota — are always backed by expert guidance, ongoing support, and a deep understanding of cross-border trade.
We don’t just automate customs — we help our clients modernise it, without losing sight of the regulatory detail or operational complexity involved.
With ALS, customs are simplified, and trade is amplified.
Ready to join the future of Freight Forwarding?
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