Customs Inspection Insurance
An innovative new insurance product to solve the problem of unpredictable shipping container inspection costs.
Exclusively from LoadStar Insurance Services
Meet LoadStar Customs Inspection Insurance!
Sick of surprise inspection costs?
We’re the game-changer importers have been waiting for. No more profit-crushing surprises. No more tense phone calls. Our revolutionary solution? Simple: “Provide a predictable cost to eliminate an unpredictable threat.”
With LoadStar, you get:
- Rock-solid profit protection
- Smooth sailing imports
- Budget-friendly peace of mind
Say goodbye to customs curveballs. Say hello to LoadStar – your import profit shield! Importers, it’s time to take control. LoadStar: Because your bottom line deserves better!
We cover it all:
- X-Ray Exams? Covered.
- Tailgate Exams? You bet.
- Full container devanning? No sweat.
Lightning-fast reimbursement:
- Up to $2,500 of your exam fees covered
- Cash in your pocket in just 2-3 business days
Why choose LoadStar?
- Shield your profits
- Keep your business humming
- Ditch the inspection stress
Don’t let customs exams derail your success.
LoadStar: Your profit protector, your trusted business partner!
Flat Fee Pricing
$95
Flat Fee per Container
regardless of the size
What People are Saying
I’ve been an importer of home and garden wares for over two decades and custom’s inspections have always been a challenge to deal with. I am eagerly awaiting the launch of LoadStar so I can go about the business of delivering for my customers, not surprising them with unexpected inspection costs.
As new Importers we had no idea of how customs inspection fees could bite into our profit margins. Our last shipment of aluminum bottles brought in from overseas was hit with $1,400 in unexpected customs inspection fees that we hadn’t planned for. LoadStar Customs Inspection Insurance is a no brainer and we’ll be adding it to every container going forward.
Financial Strength
Rest assured your insurance policy is secure
Loadstar Customs Inspection Insurance Underwritten by RLI
RLI is rated A+ (Superior) by AM Best and Rated A (Strong) by Standard & Poor’s
Why Insure
Customs Exams are Costly
$150-350
The X-Ray:
Known as a Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) or a VACIS exam. CBP orders your container to be driven through an X-ray Machine at the Ocean Terminal and reviews the results. If cleared at this level the container will be released otherwise, this exam could be escalated to either of the next two exams.
$150-350
Tailgate Exam:
The Tail Gate Exam inspects your container at the pier. The CBP officer breaks the seal of the container, opens the doors of the container, and takes a look inside. If everything is found acceptable your container is released; if not, the container is escalated to the final level of exams.
$1,000-5,000+*
Intensive Exam:
When an Intensive Exam is ordered by the CBP your container is trucked over to a CES (Centralized Examination Station) Exam Site where the container is devanned or unloaded completely. A CES is a private corporation authorized by Customs to offload your container, segregate each set of parcels, open designated boxes, and ready the cargo for a Customs officer to visually inspect the cargo and possibly take samples.
*LoadStar will pay up to $2,500 of your exam fees
Customs Inspection Insurance Premium:
$95
Flat Fee per Container
regardless of the size
Keep costs predictable with our flat fee rate.
Customs Inspection Insurance Resources
Understanding Customs Holds
A customs hold is any hold put on a shipment to address a potential issue under either Customs regulations or any of the many other agencies involved with regulating goods entering the country.
Manifest Hold:
Merchandise Examination Team (MET) performing Trade Fraud Examinations. Based on data or the lack thereof on the carrier’s manifest, as well as ISF (Importer Security Filing) data.
Commercial Enforcement Hold:
CET Hold (A-TCET): A hold placed by the Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team on containers that may contain illegal contraband. Broad definition for any hold put on a shipment to address a potential issue under either Customs regulations, but possibly by any of the many other agencies involved with regulating goods entering the country.
Statistical Validation Hold:
A hold placed on containers when the goods listed on the manifest do not match the expected weight, value, etc. Typically, these are triggered by discrepancies in the data declared against what prior experience says cargo should be for a given commodity.
CET Hold (A-TCET):
Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team (A-TCET): CBP is looking for illegal cargo, smuggling, weapons of mass destruction, and other contraband. An (A-TCET) Intensive Examination requires complete unloading and staging of the shipment for piece by piece examination of the cargo.
PGA Hold:
A number of other Participating Government Agencies (PGAs), e.g., FDA, USDA, CPSC and a host of others regulate products entering the U.S. Any of these agencies may instruct CBP to place a hold on a shipment to ensure that it complies with regulations. (CBPa): Customs and Border Protection Agriculture (AQI) Examinations is looking for pests and insects in wood packaging products and shipping containers. (FDA): Food and Drug Administration Examinations FDA is looking at food products allowed into the United States and for the possible smuggling of prohibited products or foodstuff.
Our Experts
Meet the Team
Dan Williams
Founder/President of LoadStar Insurance Services, LLC
Inventor of Customs Inspection Insurance
30 year insurance industry veteran, 18 years in regional and national sales and 12 years of Business Unit Management experience with P&L responsibility
Managed over $100 Million in gross revenue
B.S. in Business Administration from California Lutheran University
Licensed P&C and Surplus Lines Broker in CA & VA
Jeff Wallace
Executive Director of LoadStar Insurance Services, LLC
Co-founder of Silicon Valley in Your Pocket, a virtual startup accelerator, serving 2,500+ companies across 40+ countries
Co-founder & ex-President of Batchery, a seed stage incubator
Active angel investor, startup advisor & Limited Partner at Berkeley SkyDeck Fund & Supporters Fund
Adjunct Instructor at UC Berkeley for Entrepreneurship
He holds a BA in Economics/Finance from Rutgers College & an MBA from UC Berkeley
Keith Sanchez - Advisory Board Member
Founding Partner - Executive Vice President Avalon Risk Management (Retired)
38 years in the financial services industry with 29 years specifically catering to the International Trade and Transportation community.
Member - District Export Council of Southern California, appointed by the Secretary of Commerce
Director at Large and Past President of the FTA (Foreign Trade Association)
Past President of the Harbor Transportation Club
Board Member of the International Seafarers Center in Long Beach, CA.
Active member in numerous organizations such as the Los Angeles Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association, National Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association, Los Angeles Transportation Club, LA Air Cargo Association, and California Trucking Association.
Keith also served as an instructor at the Global Logistic Specialist (GLS) program at the California State University – Long Beach.
Keith resides in Redondo Beach California.
Vincent Iacopella - Advisory Board Member
EVP Growth & Strategy - Alba Wheels Up International LLC
30 years’ experience managing global customer relationships in Transpacific markets with cross border imports and exports considered trade sensitive for USG agencies, such as CBP, FDA, and others; Licensed Customs Broker.
Led and aligned automation initiatives with CBP Trade Modernization initiatives and industry transition to ACE.
Past president of the Los Angeles Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association
Current president of the Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders.
In March 2013, appointed to the 13th Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection, better known as COAC currently serving as Trade Co-Chair
Advises the secretaries of the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Homeland Security on the commercial operations of CBP and related DHS and Treasury functions.
Additional Information
Questions?
For more information about Customs Inspections Insurance, contact us today!
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LoadStar Insurance Services, LLC
(562) 296 2005
