Henry E. Kloch & Co. are primarily customs brokers but we are not tied to any specific steamship lines. We will work with any forwarder you are currently using.

Freight forwarders who do customs clearances are companies that farm out your customs work to another company or perhaps have a small in house operation to do clearances. Yes, there is a convenience of getting one invoice for the freight and customs work. However, there is a cost - you are losing options regarding your shipping. If you ship with several freight forwarders, then you have several different customs brokers handling your shipments who do not know your history, product, or company.

Further complicating matters is most freight forwarders have very high turnover of employees which means importers who use them will be constantly having to explain their product and needs to a revolving door of new people. Consistency is a key to minimize exposure to problems with the government and consistency cannot be done without domain knowledge.

Most customs brokers, whether they work for a forwarder or are independent, have one licensed broker who ultimately has very little oversite on the day to day operations. We at Henry E. Kloch & Co. have very experienced and licensed customs brokers at each location. One of these brokers will be involved with all of your cargo needs, particularly in matters involving U.S. Customs and other government agencies.