On August 14, local time, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a notice to port operators and the trade community regarding new transportation control measures for containers selected for inspection.
Key Changes:
Mandatory Controlled Drayage for FCL Inspections
For Full Container Load (FCL) shipments selected for inspection by the Merchandise Enforcement Team (MET) or Agriculture Quarantine Inspection (AQI), importers and customs brokers will no longer be permitted to use their own trucking companies for drayage from the terminal to the Centralized Examination Station (CES).
Instead, they must use trucking companies designated and contracted by the CES operator, in compliance with CBP’s controlled drayage requirements.LCL Shipments Retain Flexibility
For Less than Container Load (LCL) shipments selected for inspection, importers and customs brokers may continue to use their own transportation providers for drayage from the terminal to the CES.
Details of the New Rule:
Effective August 25, 2025, any FCL container selected by MET and/or AQI for inspection must be transported under CBP-controlled drayage arrangements. The customs broker or importer responsible for filing will not have the right to choose their own trucking service for moving the container from the port terminal to the CES.
The term Centralized Examination Station (CES) in the notice specifically refers to facilities certified or contracted by CES operators to provide controlled drayage in compliance with CBP requirements.
If goods are ordered for re-exportation due to CBP enforcement actions, they must also be transported back to the terminal using the designated CES trucking provider.
LCL cargo selected for MET or AQI inspection will remain exempt from this requirement, allowing continued use of privately arranged drayage.
Background:
CBP stated that the new regulation is a direct response to a recent increase in incidents where inspected inbound cargo bypassed official examination.
Port authorities determined that controlled drayage between terminals and CES facilities is necessary to ensure compliance with CBP inspections.
