"People come in in tears," says Tamra Johnson, a customs broker. "Customs
isn't helping them, and they don't know what to do." It's Johnson's job to
figure out if and how she can help the client get her cargo passed through
customs.
Just outside Johnson's office at an airport, airplanes are taxiing down
runways, landing and unloading passengers or taking off to exotic locations.
Inside the belly of many of these planes are stacks of mail, mechanical parts
and other cargo.
If the plane is coming from a different country, Johnson has already figured
out what paperwork needs to be filled out to get the cargo out of the plane,
through customs and on to waiting trucks.
"It's a challenge to figure out what needs to be done for each shipment,"
she says.
"This job never becomes routine," Johnson adds. The goods passing through
customs sometimes vary, but more often it is government regulations that change.
"The rules are constantly changing," she says. "You can never know everything
in this job because when you turn around new conditions apply to different
goods. You can never get stagnant."
Customs agent Betty Victory agrees that the work is constantly changing.
"You have a rule and then find out that 10 exceptions have been added to it,"
she says. "You can't get bored doing this work."
Victory also enjoys the fast pace of working in a brokerage. Businesses
want their shipments to pass across borders quickly and efficiently. Customs
brokers have to worry about these types of questions: has all the proper paperwork
been filled out? Will the shipment make it across? What happens if it doesn't?
If the shipment doesn't make it through, customs brokers can be sure that
their clients will be upset or angry. "The fast pace can be stressful," says
Victory.
"You have to be a calm, relaxed person to be able to survive," adds Johnson.
But a customs broker can't be too relaxed. Sometimes they have to deal
with hazardous material and make sure that it is properly documented to go
across the line. "The technical knowledge in this job is endless," says Gary
French, a customs broker in California.
"You have to be able to classify all kinds of things: foods, textiles,
electronics," he says. "You won't be able to do your work unless you know
all the details."
For example, when classifying a shipment of chemicals, French has to get
it right or it may be big problems at the border. "What is a polychloride
crystal?" asks French. "If I don't know, I'd better find out in a hurry."
When things don't go right, customs brokers have to deal with different
government agencies to straighten out the problem. "This can be one of the
more difficult parts of the job," he says.
On the whole, French loves his work. He believes there are opportunities
for customs brokers in the future because of arrangements such as free trade.
However, he worries that computer technology may reduce the number of customs
brokers needed.
"I worry that customs brokers are a dying breed," he says. Bigger businesses
are finding that they don't need to have a customs broker working at every
border crossing or port. Instead, they can work in a centralized office and
file papers for shipments.
Johnson adds, "People who want to become customs brokers have to be computer-oriented.
They are a part of our work now."
Customs brokers are connected to the world. "That's what I enjoy the most
about this work," says French. "The next phone call I pick up could be from
Paris, or London or anywhere."
French enjoys the global nature of his work. "I can follow countries like
India and Iceland, and see what they are exporting, see how they are doing
in the marketplace." In addition, French enjoys being able to speak with people
from all of these countries. "The variety of nationalities is incredible."
French remembers a call he received from South Africa. "I had spoken to
another client from South Africa, and just by chance wondered if they knew
each other. Turns out they went to high school together," he says. "It was
remarkable. It makes you remember that we live in a small world. And that
makes it easy to want to help people."