Julio Rodriguez US Customs Broker
Services
Freight Forwarding Arrangements

Moving the freight, and clearing it, without two companies blaming each other

A freight forwarder arranges transport. A customs broker files the entry that gets it into the country. They are different licences and different jobs, and most of the delays importers experience live in the gap between them. We are the broker, we arrange the forwarding through partners we work with, and we hold both ends of the file.

Broker and forwarder are not the same thing

A customs broker is licensed by CBP and is the party responsible to the government for your entry. A freight forwarder books and coordinates the physical movement. Many companies do both, and many companies imply they are licensed when only a partner is.

Ask any prospective provider for the licence and the filer code and check it against CBP's published list. Ours is EWV, and it is on every entry we file.

What we arrange

Ocean and air bookings through forwarders and carriers we work with regularly, on the lanes we see most: Latin America and the Caribbean into Puerto Rico and South Florida, Asia and Europe into the US ports we clear at, and mainland to island movements in both directions.

We are not selling you a rate we control. We are selecting and coordinating the move, then filing the entry ourselves, and telling you honestly which part is ours.

Why booking and clearance belong in one file

The documents that move the freight are the documents that clear it. When the commercial invoice, the packing list and the bill of lading are prepared with the entry in mind, the entry files cleanly and often before arrival. When they are prepared by somebody who never sees the entry, the errors surface at the worst moment.

The ISF is the sharpest example: it is due twenty four hours before lading, at $5,000 in liquidated damages per violation, and it needs data that sits with the booking. A broker who is not in the booking conversation is being asked to file blind.

Incoterms, and who is actually paying

Most disputes we see between importers and their suppliers are Incoterms disputes wearing a costume. Who pays the freight, who pays the duty, who is the importer of record and who carries the risk while the goods are on the water are four separate questions, and a term chosen casually answers all four in ways nobody intended.

We will read the terms on your purchase order before the shipment moves and tell you what they commit you to. That conversation costs nothing and has saved clients a great deal.

FAQ

Are you a freight forwarder or a customs broker?

A licensed customs broker, filer code EWV. We arrange forwarding through partners, and we will always tell you which company is doing which part of your shipment.

Can you handle the booking and the entry together?

Yes, and that is the point. The documents that move the freight are the documents that clear it, so preparing them once with the entry in mind is what lets us file before arrival.

Do you quote freight rates?

We arrange the move through forwarders and carriers rather than selling our own rate. If a rate is quoted to you, we will tell you whose it is.

Who files the ISF?

We do, as your broker, and it is due 24 hours before lading. That is why we would rather be in the booking conversation than hear about the shipment after it sails.

Can you advise on Incoterms?

Yes, and it is worth asking before the purchase order is signed rather than after the goods arrive. Most supplier disputes we see are Incoterms disputes.

Tell us about the shipment before it sails

The earlier we see the booking and the documents, the more of the entry we can file before arrival.

Services