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Customs release is one gate

CBP uses the Automated Commercial Environment — ACE — for cargo release and trade processing.

The customs broker/importer works through the appropriate CBP process.

The drayage driver does not clear Customs at the terminal gate just by showing up.

Other agencies can be involved

Depending on the commodity, Partner Government Agencies can have their own admissibility/release requirements.

Examples can include food, agriculture, regulated products and other controlled commodities.

The responsible broker/importer should know which agency requirements apply.

What does a Customs hold mean?

A hold means the shipment is not released for normal movement.

The exact action depends on the hold/exam type.

Do not dispatch the delivery truck based only on the vessel being discharged.

Intensive physical exam

CBP states that an intensive exam may require the physical transfer of cargo to a Centralized Examination Station.

The cargo cannot legally move for normal delivery until CBP authorizes it.

Operational consequences can include:

  • exam drayage,
  • CES fees,
  • chassis time,
  • storage,
  • delay,
  • exam handling.

Customs release is not necessarily terminal availability

Imagine:

Customs: released Ocean carrier: released Terminal: unavailable — container blocked in stack Appointment: none

The container is still not ready for the driver.

The opposite can happen too:

Terminal: grounded Customs: hold

Still not ready.

Ocean-carrier/freight release

The steamship line may have its own release requirement.

Issues can include:

  • freight payment,
  • documentation,
  • bill-of-lading release,
  • commercial hold.

The customs broker and ocean carrier solve different parts of the transaction.

Terminal holds

A terminal can have its own operational or payment holds.

Always check the terminal's live container status.

Port-program/payment releases

Some ports have additional program fees.

At Los Angeles/Long Beach, PierPASS operates the OffPeak Traffic Mitigation Fee program. Its system can issue terminal release notifications when the applicable payment condition is satisfied.

That is a local program, not a universal U.S. port step.

What should the shipper ask?

Before dispatch:

Customs: released? PGA: any hold? Carrier: freight/line release? Terminal: available? Terminal hold: none? Fees: required payment released? Exam: none/open/completed? Appointment: available/booked? LFD: known?

If you cannot answer those, say the container is pending, not ready.

Who should fix what?

Customs / agency hold

Importer / customs broker / responsible trade party.

Ocean-carrier hold

Importer/forwarder/shipper with carrier as applicable.

Terminal operational hold

Terminal/party controlling the transaction.

Drayage

Coordinate pickup once the container is legally and operationally available; handle authorized exam transfers when contracted.

Documentation habit

Save status screenshots and timestamps.

When a charge/dispute arises, it matters whether the box was actually available for movement.

Bottom line

“Customs released” is good news.

It is not the same as:

truck can pick up now.

The dispatch decision needs the whole release picture.

Related:

Waiting on a release?

Send the container and terminal details and we will help you identify what is actually holding it and who has to clear it.

Request a Freight Quote

Official references

  • CBP ACE: https://www.cbp.gov/trade/automated/how-to-use-ace
  • CBP intensive exam: https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-1268?language=en_US
  • Port of Virginia container events/holds example: https://operations.portofvirginia.com/api-subscriptions/