Freight brokers use manifest data to identify qualified shipper leads, verify cargo types, and monitor lane activity — all from public CBP records.
Every ocean shipment entering the US generates a public CBP manifest. That manifest names the importer, the foreign shipper, the cargo description, the port, and the volume. Freight brokers who know how to search this data find shipper leads with verified cargo types, confirmed import volumes, and identified arrival patterns — before cold-calling a list of generic company names.
Cold calling companies with no idea what they import
Search by commodity — find every importer of steel coils, frozen shrimp, or automotive parts in your lanes
No way to verify a prospect's actual import volume
See 12 months of manifest history: how many shipments, from which ports, at what weight/volume
Losing accounts without knowing they started using another carrier
Monitor your customer's manifest records — get alerted when shipment frequency changes or a new consignee appears
Pitching companies that ship air when you cover ocean, or vice versa
Filter by transport mode, port of entry, and commodity to qualify leads before the first call
Not knowing which lanes are growing before committing capacity
Analyze import volume trends by commodity, origin country, and US port to identify high-growth lanes
Search by commodity type, country of origin, and port of entry to build a targeted prospect list of verified importers. Every result includes actual manifest data — shipper name, consignee, volume, and arrival frequency.
Real example
A broker covering the Port of Savannah searches "automotive parts" from "Germany" — gets 340 importing companies with manifest history, sorted by volume. They export the list and start with the top 20 by shipment frequency.
Set up watchlist alerts for your top accounts. ShipManifestPro notifies you when their import frequency drops, when they start using a different port, or when a new consignee name appears on their manifests.
Real example
A broker receives an alert that their client's monthly import volume dropped 40% in October. They call proactively, discover the client is testing a competitor's rate, and retain the account with a better offer before the contract expires.
Analyze import volume trends for specific commodities and lane combinations. Identify which products are growing in your target ports before committing capacity.
Real example
Analyzing the Port of Houston, a broker sees medical equipment imports from India doubled over the past 18 months. They position their coverage to target Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers shipping to Texas healthcare distributors.
Before calling a prospect, pull their complete manifest history. Know their cargo type, import frequency, shipping season, preferred ports, and current carrier — before the conversation starts.
Real example
Before calling a furniture importer, a broker checks their manifest history: 15 annual shipments from Vietnam, mostly Q3-Q4 (seasonal), primarily through LA/Long Beach. They prepare a seasonal rate proposal specific to Vietnam-West Coast furniture freight.
| Search Query |
|---|
"steel coils" from China entering Houston |
consignee: "Walmart" arrival port: Savannah |
furniture Vietnam 2024-2025 |
"automotive parts" from Mexico entry: Laredo |
organic food USA importer 2025 |
Enter commodity type + country of origin + US port. ShipManifestPro returns every importer matching that profile with 12 months of manifest history.
Sort by total shipments, shipment weight, or arrival frequency. Focus on high-volume importers with regular cadence — your most valuable prospects.
Click any importer to see their full manifest timeline: when they ship, from which suppliers, at what volume, and through which ports.
Export the filtered prospect list to CSV. Import directly into your CRM with commodity type, import volume, and preferred port pre-populated as custom fields.
Add current customers to your watchlist. Receive alerts when their shipment frequency changes, a new carrier appears, or their volume drops — before they call you.
Every prospect is a verified importer with documented cargo type and volume — not a cold company name from a database
Brokers report finding 3-5 qualified prospects per focused 20-minute search session
Walking into a call with full manifest history takes minutes, not hours of LinkedIn and Google research
Monitoring customer manifests catches volume drops and carrier changes before they result in lost business
I used to cold call companies from generic lists. Now I only call importers I know ship the right commodity at the right volume through my lanes. My close rate tripled.
Yes — US CBP ocean manifest data is public record under the Tariff Act of 1930. It is widely used by freight brokers, importers, export compliance officers, and trade researchers. Companies like Panjiva and ImportGenius have built multi-million dollar businesses on this same public data. ShipManifestPro accesses the same legally public records.
Each manifest record includes: shipper name (foreign exporter), consignee name (US importer), product description, HS commodity code, quantity and weight, port of loading, US port of entry, vessel name, carrier SCAC, and arrival date. This gives you a complete picture of the shipment without invoice values.
Manifests are filed with CBP upon vessel departure and processed within 24-72 hours of US port arrival. ShipManifestPro updates its database daily from CBP filings. Most records appear within 1-3 business days of the vessel arriving at port.
Yes — ShipManifestPro Pro plan includes bulk CSV export. You can export search results with importer name, commodity type, import volume, and port data formatted for direct CRM import. The Basic plan includes limited exports; Pro includes unlimited bulk export.
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