Duties, brokerage, and bond charges

Your FreightSimple quote covers moving the freight. Customs costs are separate, and they are billed by your customs broker rather than by us.

What your quote covers

The price you see when you book is the price for the transportation: the carrier moving your freight from the pickup address to the delivery address, including the border crossing itself. Enter accurate shipment details and that is the price you pay us. See The FreightSimple Guarantee.

What is billed separately

• Duties and taxes. Assessed on your goods by the destination country's border agency, based on what you are shipping and where it was made. Your broker handles these and bills you.
• Brokerage fees. Your customs broker's own fee for preparing and filing the customs entry. It is set by them, not by us, so it is worth asking what they charge per shipment.
• Bond charges. These can come up when freight has to be held or moved while it is not yet cleared. Your broker or the carrier can tell you what a specific bond charge on your shipment covers.
• Storage. If a customs delay leaves your freight sitting at a terminal beyond the free period, the carrier charges storage and it is passed on to you. See Understanding storage charges.

Which of these you can avoid

Duties and brokerage fees come with the shipment, so plan for them. Bond and storage charges are the avoidable ones, because they almost always follow a delay at the border rather than the crossing itself.

1. Have your documents ready before pickup

   Complete customs documents, uploaded before the driver arrives, are the single biggest thing in your control. See Uploading your customs documents.

2. Get your PARS or PAPS number to your broker early

   The customs entry has to be filed before the truck reaches the border. See PARS and PAPS numbers.

3. Move fast if something is held

   Storage and bond charges accrue while a shipment waits. See When customs holds your freight.