What Can You Expect on Extra Charges Associate with Direct Container that may Occur during the Transportation?

This is a general announcement for all customers who place direct container order with Pacific Home & Garden, Inc., from Asia (China & Vietnam) to the United States of America.

Pacific Home & Garden, Inc. has experienced importing about more than 100 containers in total combined for local, interstate, and international every year. However, due to the increasing restriction on regulation by U.S. Custom Border & Protection (U.S. CBP) in term of international, inter regional, and local transport, there are some CBP operation costs that subject to delay the container transportation from the port of discharged, rail ramp destination, and local to customer and vice versa. Below are some expenses shall be bear and are needed to be familiar with:

• Demurrage – Fee that is assessed when container isn’t moved off from the terminal/rail destination on the free time allowance ends assigned by CBP. Please note that demurrage charge may still be applied although CBP conducts the examination of the container beyond its allowance time.
• Pre-Pull Charge – Container needs to be pre-pulled at the local trucker’s rate to avoid demurrage charge. It’s applied for shipment that arrives at rail destination close to the weekend, i.e. Thursday or Friday, and if customer can’t accept container on the day it’s available for delivery.
• Storage fee – When container is pre-pulled, storage fee may be applied at the local trucker’s rate.
• Detention/Per-diem Charge – Cost per day that is assessed on container(s) held by customers for an extended time and charges levied upon a trucker due to late return of equipment to the port/terminal/rail terminal after the designated free time assigned by CBP.
• If your shipment is examined by CBP, the Centralized Examination Station (CES) will facilitate CBP by providing an efficient means to conduct exam(s) like :
  • VACIS Exam : Vehicle and Cargo Inspection using sophisticated imaging technology, i.e. X-Ray exam.
  • M.E.T. Exam : Manifest Examination Team examine documents for custom- clearance on a random basis.
  • Intensive Exam : Full Devanning (unloading goods from container) exam.
  • CET Exam : Contraband Enforcement Team may examine shipments with the intent of looking for contraband drugs and goods not allowed to United States.
  • AQI (Agriculture Quarantine Inspection -- formerly USDA) Hold

Extra trucker’s transportation fee will be applied if container is moved to the Central Examination Station (CES) or Homeland Security exam site.

Pacific Home and Garden, Inc. strives to work closely with our contracted custom broker and freight forwarder to be compliant with U.S. Customs procedure and minimize risk as we understand how time sensitive your product is.

Thank you!