Few emails deflate an importer faster than “your container has been selected for exam.” Customs exams are a normal part of importing — but in South Florida they can add days and real cost if you do not understand the process or your trucker is not equipped for it. Here is how CBP exams actually work at PortMiami and Port Everglades, and how to keep them from wrecking your schedule.
Why containers get flagged
CBP targets shipments using risk data: new importers, new supplier relationships, cargo types with enforcement history, incomplete or vague descriptions, and random selection. You cannot eliminate exam risk, but clean, specific commercial documents and consistent shipping patterns lower it over time. C-TPAT-certified supply chains also see fewer holds.
The three main exam types
VACIS / X-ray exam
The lightest touch: the container passes through a gamma-ray or X-ray scanner, often on terminal. If the image matches the manifest, the hold releases — typically adding one to three days. If anomalies show, the box escalates to a physical exam.
Tailgate exam
A CBP officer breaks the seal and inspects from the container doors, usually at the terminal or a nearby location. Adds a few days depending on officer availability.
Intensive exam
The full unload. The container moves under bond to a Centralized Examination Station (CES), where the devanning crew strips it, CBP inspects the cargo (sometimes with agriculture or FDA partners), and the freight is reloaded. Expect five to ten-plus days total and costs that can run from several hundred to a few thousand dollars — exam fees, CES handling, drayage to and from the station, and possible demurrage or per diem on the equipment.
Who pays and who moves the box
The importer pays exam costs, even when nothing is found. Critically, the leg from terminal to CES must be run by a bonded carrier, because the cargo has not cleared. This is where carrier choice matters: a carrier without a custodial bond cannot touch the move, and every handoff adds delay. Go Drayage is licensed by U.S. Customs and runs exam moves between the terminals, CES facilities, and our bonded Miami yard regularly. See our carrier credentials guide for how bonds work.
How to shorten exam delays
- Respond same-day. Exam queues are first-come; the sooner your broker pays fees and your trucker books the CES move, the earlier your slot.
- Use a bonded carrier with CES experience. Knowing each station’s dock procedures and hours saves round trips.
- Keep equipment clocks in mind. Ask your carrier whether the container can wait at a bonded yard rather than the terminal — bonded yard storage is far cheaper than demurrage while paperwork resolves.
- Fix the paperwork pattern. Repeated exams often trace to vague descriptions (“gifts,” “parts”) or mismatched shipper data. Your broker can usually spot the trigger.
Planning imports around exam risk
Build two to three buffer days into launch-critical shipments, and never schedule a container for a same-week retail commitment without a fallback. If you split purchase orders across two containers on different vessels, one exam cannot stall the whole program. For freight already cut close, ask about priority recovery — after release, a same-day pull from the CES to your dock. Learn what happens after clearance in our Port Everglades import walkthrough.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a customs exam take in Miami?
VACIS scans typically add one to three days, tailgate exams a similar range, and intensive exams five to ten-plus days depending on CES backlog and how quickly fees are paid and drayage is booked.
Who pays for a customs exam?
The importer of record pays all exam-related costs — CES handling, drayage to the exam site, and any storage or equipment charges accrued during the hold — regardless of the exam outcome.
Can my regular trucker move a container to the exam station?
Only if they are a bonded carrier. Cargo under exam has not cleared customs, so the terminal-to-CES leg must move under a custodial bond. Go Drayage handles these moves at both PortMiami and Port Everglades.