US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is doubling down on its efforts to expedite the cargo clearance process in order to increase freight velocity at congested ports across the country. Those efforts include more precise targeting of risky shipments in order to free up staff to expedite the clearance of legal cargo, stepped-up training of inspectors and trade specialists, and coordinating its cargo clearance processes with those of partner government agencies to help reduce port congestion. CBP is considering expanding its hours of operation to utilize so-called Vacis systems — large-scale, low-dose X-ray machines — to inspect containers for illegal narcotics. CBP is also considering requests from importers and customs brokers to open additional central examination stations (CES) for the full devanning of containers.
