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Career Details

13-1041.08 - Customs Brokers


Prepare customs documentation and ensure that shipments meet all applicable laws to facilitate the import and export of goods. Determine and track duties and taxes payable and process payments on behalf of client. Sign documents under a power of attorney. Represent clients in meetings with customs officials and apply for duty refunds and tariff reclassifications. Coordinate transportation and storage of imported goods.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
260,300
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
269,000
Estimate
Change in Employment
+8,700
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+3.3%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Sign documents on behalf of clients, using powers of attorney.
  • Provide advice on transportation options, types of carriers, or shipping routes.
  • Post bonds for the products being imported or assist clients in obtaining bonds.
  • Insure cargo against loss, damage, or pilferage.
  • Obtain line releases for frequent shippers of low-risk commodities, high-volume entries, or multiple-container loads.
  • Contract with freight forwarders for destination services.
  • Arrange for transportation, warehousing, or product distribution of imported or exported products.
  • Request or compile necessary import documentation, such as customs invoices, certificates of origin, and cargo-control documents.
  • Stay abreast of changes in import or export laws or regulations by reading current literature, attending meetings or conferences, or conferring with colleagues.
  • Quote duty and tax rates on goods to be imported, based on federal tariffs and excise taxes.
  • Prepare papers for shippers to appeal duty charges.
  • Pay, or arrange for payment of, taxes and duties on shipments.
  • Monitor or trace the location of goods.
  • Inform importers and exporters of steps to reduce duties and taxes.
  • Confer with officials in various agencies to facilitate clearance of goods through customs and quarantine.
  • Classify goods according to tariff coding system.
  • Calculate duty and tariff payments owed on shipments.
  • Apply for tariff concessions or for duty drawbacks and other refunds.
  • Advise customers on import and export restrictions, tariff systems, insurance requirements, quotas, or other customs-related matters.
  • Prepare and process import and export documentation according to customs regulations, laws, or procedures.
  • Clear goods through customs and to their destinations for clients.
Supplemental
  • Suggest best methods of packaging or labeling products.
  • Maintain relationships with customs brokers in other ports to expedite clearing of cargo.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Transportation
  • 83%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
 English Language
  • 82%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Clerical
  • 81%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Law and Government
  • 80%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 79%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 69%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Administration and Management
  • 68%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Geography
  • 67%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
 Mathematics
  • 66%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Economics and Accounting
  • 63%
    Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
 Communications and Media
  • 55%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 55%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 Sales and Marketing
  • 52%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
 Telecommunications
  • 52%
    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
 Education and Training
  • 52%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 50%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Personal communication devices
  • Multiline telephone systems
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Personal computers
  • Tablet computers
 Computer data input devices
  • Computer data input scanners
 Duplicating machines
  • Laser facsimile machines
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Business function specific software
  • Materials requirement planning MRP software
  • SAP Customs Management
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Optical character reader OCR software
 Data management and query software
  • Automated commercial environment software ACE
  • Customs records databases
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
  • Parts classification databases
  • Tariff databases
 Industry specific software
  • Automated system for customs data ASYCUDA
 Information exchange software
  • Electronic data interchange EDI software
  • Microsoft OutlookHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific certifications are listed for this career
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Peirce College
Jobs
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Jobs related to this career may be found on Indeed.com or on the Google Job Search page.