“The cargo has been discharged, but we are still looking for an available a trucker.” No phrase is more petrifying for an importer who has already had to deal with the stress and interruptions of port strikes, chassis shortages, and airport congestion delays that have become the ‘norm’ when bringing goods into the U.S. While […]

After a busy 2014 and first quarter of 2015, ocean carriers are having a very unhappy holiday peak season.  Poor bets on future economic growth, new infrastructure, increased vessel capacity, and importer inventory trends have created a shipping environment with excess supply and dwindling demand. How did the shipping industry, which was enjoying record profits […]

Have you tracked your air shipment and found that only 23 cartons of 100 arrived? Or, maybe you’ve heard this popular message from one of the larger air carriers, “your shipment has been split for more efficient transportation.” More efficient? For whom?  Split Shipments occur when an air carrier transports cargo covered under a single […]

If you’re like most importers or exporters, you probably shuddered when reading the subject line. Oh, the horror of receiving an unexpected bill showing demurrage, detention, or per diem!  Not only did you not plan for those fees, you may not be completely certain of the cause for such charges. Well, I’m here to set […]

Importing can be tough.  There are so many rules and regulations for importers to keep track of that it can be easy to forget all of the information that’s required for a Customs entry.  One of the most important documents brokers need for writing entries is the commercial invoice.  Without an invoice, we would have […]

It snuck up on you, didn’t it?  Much like the dreaded summer bathing suit season – the one you keep saying you’ll start that diet for next week – that time of the year has arrived.  Maybe it was the gestational holiday season when you gained 15 pounds from fruit cake alone, or the collective sigh […]

What is CIF shipping? Cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) or CIF shipping is an international trade term that represents a contract where the seller will cover the goods’ transport to the port of origin, main carriage, and minimum insurance. Easy-peasy, right? I understand that the temptation to buy on a Cost, Insurance & Freight (CIF) […]

The Importer Security Filing (ISF) began in January 2009 with a one-year introductory phase-in period. Full enforcement began in January 2010, but Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maintained a flexible and measured enforcement stance. Penalty guidelines were published in July 2009, but Customs held off doing anything until July 2013 when they announced they would […]

As a lover of all wines good and as a budding hobbyist and neophyte collector of Italian (Piedmont, Tuscany, and Umbria regions),  French (Rhone region), Spanish (Murcia and Rioja regions), and Washington State (Columbia Valley) varietals, I can’t seem to get enough of the culture, industry personalities, and business mechanics of my new found passion.  […]

“My competitors don’t pay duty.” Boy, if I had a dollar for every time I have heard this over my career, I would not need to worry about my kids’ college tuitions. How does an importer know for sure that the competition is not paying duty? Customs entry information is strictly confidential and not even […]

As the ETA of your freight approaches, your palms start to sweat, you begin to pace your office, hit the refresh button on the tracking website, and start calling your professional Customs broker every hour on the hour.  The underlying fears…will your freight be snagged for examination?! Cue dramatic music. Importers have come to know […]

I recently found out that I won a scholarship through the Atlanta International Forwarders and Brokers Association (AIFBA) to take a class that will prepare me for the Customs Broker Exam in October.  While I was applying for this scholarship, I was asked to write about why an importer should hire a  to clear their freight […]

Many of you know us for who we are-- a serious and, admittedly, quirky group of people that pride itself in climbing mountains for our customers. Some of you may also say that we are a company that is committed to the old-fashioned values of personalized customer service and integrity that were instilled in us by Samuel, and that we also embrace modern technology and innovative solutions with flexibility at its core.