When customs holds your freight
Sometimes a cross-border shipment reaches the border and customs will not release it. Almost always the fix sits with your customs broker, and the sooner you reach them the less it costs you.
How you will know
Two things tell you a shipment is held.
- Your tracking updates. A hold shows up as a tracking line from the carrier, worded something like "hold per broker instructions" or "pending PARS approval".
- We email you. When a carrier tells us a shipment is held, we send you a customs delay notification with your bill of lading number, the lane, and a link to the shipment. We copy your customs broker on it, so everyone is looking at the same shipment.
What to do first
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Contact your customs broker
Your broker filed the customs entry, so they are the only ones who can see its status and correct it. Neither we nor the carrier can see the entry on your behalf. Ask them plainly what is missing.
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Check your documents are complete and consistent
Most holds come down to paperwork: a missing supporting document, or a commercial invoice whose values, weights, or commodity description do not match the shipment. You can add or replace documents on the shipment at any time. See Uploading your customs documents.
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Reply quickly while it is being sorted out
We, the carrier, or your broker may need something from you to get the freight moving. A held shipment is on the clock, so a fast answer is worth more here than anywhere else in the process.
A held shipment can start accruing storage and bond charges, which are billed by the carrier or your broker and passed on to you. This is the main reason to resolve a customs hold the same day rather than waiting to see if it clears on its own.
What we do on our side
We do not disappear once the notification is sent. Our operations team stays on the shipment: we chase the carrier’s cross-border team for the real reason behind the hold, confirm the release once it happens, and update your tracking and estimated delivery date with whatever the carrier gives us. Where we need your broker, we keep them copied so nothing waits on a forwarded email.
Avoiding holds in the first place
- Upload your customs documents before pickup. A driver will refuse a cross-border pickup with no customs documents, and the carrier will not load freight that has not cleared.
- Get your PARS or PAPS number to your broker early. The entry has to be filed before the truck arrives at the border, not after.
- Use a broker who covers your lane and your hours. If you pick up close to the border, you need a broker who can clear in the evening. See Customs brokers.