Customs exam may be conducted on any shipments imported into the U.S.. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may select the shipments for customs examinations based on a targeting system that assigns a score to each cargo.
The details of the targeting system are confidential, but once a result exceeds a specific mark, the CBP will subject the imports to more review. It may then impose a range of customs holds on the goods for further action before they may be released. Otherwise, the CBP may proceed with a customs exam, which means either an X-Ray or Tail Gate or an intensive exam, depending on the data and ultimate targeted score.