At Nelson International, we take the trust you place in us as your Customs broker or freight forwarder very seriously. In order to be a Customs broker, an individual must pass a difficult test given by Customs twice annually with a pass rate that averages around five percent. After passing the test, that individual must be fingerprinted, pass a background check and references are interviewed to make sure the person is “fit” for their position as someone trusted by Customs and to offer their services on a for-hire basis to importers.
Image courtesy of CBP Flickr Photostream
In July of last year a licensed Customs broker, and someone in a leadership position in a local Association in California, was sentenced to prison for a role they played in avoiding import duties and profiting personally from their role in this scheme. The NCBFAA, our industry’s trade association, immediately sprang to the defense of the industry and firmly reinforced the position that this is not representative behavior, and in fact this person was an outlier.
Customs brokers are trusted by the government to, “collect, protect and defend the revenue of the United States government.” We receive duties from importers and are required, by law, to remit them. (Note: Importers can pay Customs directly through a variety of means including ACH and Periodic Monthly Statement, ask us how.) We declare on behalf of our importers the contents of shipments, their descriptions, values and are responsible for security as well as revenue.
The scheme by which these individuals defrauded the government relied on several manual processes which Customs is closing the loopholes with anyways using new technology and rules to track in-bond cargo. However, additional technology to increase visibility and improve the audit process is not a reason to expect that the industry will seek a new way to game the system.
We are mindful of and understand the reputation we have built over two generations here at Nelson International. Know that when you retain us for anything in your supply chain from domestic trucking through to international shipments and Customs clearance, it is handled with the utmost attention to detail, the regulations and with the personal touch you expect.
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