Shipping and Customs Clearance Costs to the United States

Below are the main cost items associated with shipments to the United States, which typically appear on the invoices from the freight forwarder.

Drayage

In the United States, Drayage refers to the service where a container is transported from the arrival area at the port or customs to the customs area, or vice versa. This is done using special trucks [drayage chassis]. During the post-pandemic period, the lack of these types of trucks and drivers was one of the main causes of bottlenecks in the customs clearance operations for imports into the USA.

Export Clearance / Export Customs Procedure

Performed by a local customs broker with the local customs office [or by an international freight forwarder].

Customs Clearance / Import Customs Procedure

This operation is carried out by a U.S. Customs Broker at U.S. Customs during the importation of goods. The fees are the responsibility of the exporter only in the case of DDP terms. Otherwise, import duties in the USA are the responsibility of the "importer of record."

HBL Issue (House Bill of Lading Issue) / Issuance of the Maritime Sub-Policy [for sea shipments to the United States]

This charge appears when the load is not sufficient to fill a full container, and we are dealing with an LCL (Less than Container Load) shipment. In this case, the local freight forwarder places the goods inside a "groupage" container destined for the United States along with other goods from other exporters.

THC (Terminal Handling Charges) / Terminal Handling Charges

These cover labor (crane operators, stevedores, etc.) and the use of equipment at the terminal (such as cranes and forklifts).

Wharfage

The charge is related to the use of the wharf for loading the goods onto the vessel. Note: in some cases, this expense is included in the THC. We recommend confirming that this charge is not duplicated.

FOB Charges / FOB Charges (Free On Board)

These are the charges for loading the goods onto the ship at the port of departure. They are the responsibility of the exporter with all terms except EXW (Ex Works) and FCA (Free Carrier), where the FOB charges are the responsibility of the party handling the import into the United States.

Ocean Freight / Ocean Freight [for sea shipments from Italy to the USA]

Shipping charges from the local port to the port in the United States, calculated by the shipping company. Usually, this is a substantial amount and appears when the ocean freight is prepaid (Freight Prepaid) rather than collect (Freight Collect). This charge will definitely appear when the agreed terms with the foreign client are CFR, CIF, CIP, DAP, or DDP.

Inland Transportation / Inland Delivery or Transportation

This is the cost of transporting the goods from the starting warehouse to the location specified by the agreed term of sale: to the carrier if FCA, to the departure port if FOB. In the case of FOB, loading costs will also be added.

Detention and Demurrage / Detention and Storage Charges at U.S. Customs or the U.S. Terminal

Detention refers to the additional time a container or load remains at a port, terminal, or warehouse beyond the free period allowed by the shipping company or terminal operator. Detention occurs due to customs hold by U.S. Customs.

Demurrage charges are levied by the shipping company for delays in moving the container within the pre-established time period known as the "Last Free Day." If the container remains in the port in the U.S., the shipping company charges daily fees that must be paid before the goods are released to the consignee. Demurrage occurs due to delays attributable to the party responsible for customs clearance or the importer of record.

Demurrage or detention costs at customs occur at the U.S. port during customs clearance and are the responsibility of the exporter only when the terms are DDP (Delivery Duty Paid); otherwise, they are the responsibility of the U.S. importer.

Customs Duties / U.S. Import Duty

These are the responsibility of the U.S. importer. Duties for importing into the U.S. are charged to the exporter only if the terms are DDP.

We thank Dr. Roberto Coppola for allowing us to republish the text that appears on this page of the ExportUSA website. The original article can be consulted on the Fare Export website: The Freight Forwarder's Invoice.