National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) (Customs Glossary)

This article is part of the Customs Glossary Guide

National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) logo

The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) is a nonprofit freight-industry standards organization best known to highway carriers for the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) and the Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC). NMFTA defines and maintains standards that support freight movement across North America, including NMFC, SCAC, Standard Point Location Code (SPLC), digital API standards, and cybersecurity initiatives.

For cross-border highway carriers, NMFTA is most commonly encountered when applying for, renewing, or looking up a Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC). NMFTA states that it is the official issuing authority for SCAC, a unique two-to-four-letter identifier used for transportation companies in contracts, load tenders, transportation management systems, customs filings, and government programs.

National Motor Freight Classification

NMFTA publishes the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC), an industry classification standard used mainly in less-than-truckload freight. NMFTA says one of its core roles is maintaining LTL freight classification standards through the NMFC system.

The NMFC helps classify freight for transportation rating and handling purposes. Freight class is commonly influenced by transportability characteristics such as:

• density;
• handling;
• stowability; and
• liability.

The NMFC is not the same as a customs tariff classification. Customs classification for imported goods is handled through tariff systems such as the Harmonized Tariff Schedule in the United States or the Canadian Customs Tariff in Canada.

Standard Carrier Alpha Code

The Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) is a unique two-to-four-letter carrier identifier assigned and governed by NMFTA. NMFTA states that SCAC is the freight industry’s universal carrier identifier and is used with shippers, brokers, platforms, government agencies, TMS systems, customs filings, and government-related freight programs.

SCAC was developed by NMFTA to help computerize transportation-industry identification and is used in electronic data interchange and other carrier-identification workflows. For U.S. border work, the SCAC is especially important because it identifies the carrier in ACE Manifest and is normally used as the prefix for Shipment Control Numbers and PAPS numbers.

SCACs must be kept current through NMFTA. NMFTA notes that SCACs are used in customs clearance, EDI, intermodal rail, and U.S. government filings, and that NMFTA is the official source and sole issuer of SCAC codes.

Usage in BorderConnect

In BorderConnect, NMFTA matters primarily because the carrier’s SCAC is used throughout U.S. shipment and ACE Manifest workflows. BorderConnect’s SCAC tutorial explains that a SCAC is required to file an ACE Manifest and to use PAPS barcode labels for U.S. customs clearance.

Common places where the SCAC matters in BorderConnect include:

• Company Details, where the carrier's SCAC is stored for the account;
• ACE Manifest, where the carrier SCAC identifies the carrier transmitting the trip;
• Start New ACE Manifest, where BorderConnect’s ACE tutorial shows the trip number beginning with the company’s SCAC code;
• ACE Shipment Details, where the SCAC forms part of the shipment control number;
• PAPS shipments, where the PAPS number begins with the carrier’s SCAC and acts as the link between the broker’s entry and the carrier’s ACE eManifest;
• SCAC application and renewal, for carriers that need to obtain or maintain their U.S. carrier identifier.

A SCAC mismatch can cause practical problems in BorderConnect and at the border. The SCAC on the ACE Manifest, PAPS barcode, broker entry, and carrier account should match the carrier responsible for the movement, because BorderConnect’s PAPS guidance explains that the PAPS number is the common element used to connect the broker’s entry with the carrier’s eManifest submission.

SCAC and PAPS

For PAPS freight, the SCAC is normally the first part of the PAPS number. BorderConnect’s PAPS guidance states that a PAPS number must begin with the carrier’s SCAC followed by at least four letters or numbers, and that the carrier should make sure the PAPS number on the ACE shipment exactly matches the PAPS number provided to the customs broker.

This is why renewing a SCAC matters before it expires. If a SCAC is no longer valid, carriers may not be able to use it reliably in ACE, PAPS, broker workflows, or other government-related freight systems that depend on a current carrier identifier.

SCAC and CBSA codes

Canada uses its own CBSA carrier code system for Canadian customs reporting. A SCAC is issued by NMFTA for U.S. and transportation-industry identification, while a CBSA carrier code is issued through Canadian customs processes for Canada-bound carrier reporting.

Some carriers choose a Canadian carrier code that resembles their SCAC where possible, but the two identifiers are separate. A carrier may need both a SCAC for ACE/PAPS and a CBSA carrier code for ACI/PARS, depending on whether it moves freight into the United States, Canada, or both.