Bill of Lading Database, Import Export Data: PIERS
Access U.S. customs trade data through bill of lading search
PIERS is the leading provider of import and export data at the detailed, bill-of-lading level – a heritage rooted in 40 years of amassing the industry's largest U.S. waterborne trade data set. Every day, on average, the PIERS team processes close to 60,000 bills of lading that are filed with U.S. Customs. Within hours of receipt, we verify, standardize, enhance and load the data into our products so that you can spend your time on business decisions rather than data collection. The PIERS team integrates this transactional trade data with standardized company details so you can also identify imports and exports by company. In addition to U.S. trade data going back to 2003, you can find detailed import and export transactions for 18 international markets and trade statistics for more than 144 countries. Many customers use PIERS as a complement to our aggregated trade data product, Global Trade Analytics Suite
The PIERS three-tier subscription model offers a scalable solution that lets you:
- Increase operational efficiencies with decision-ready data
- Make smarter decisions based on greater data accuracy
- Capitalize on market opportunities by tracking supply-demand shifts
- Benchmark competitor shipments, trading partners, suppliers and strategies
- Generate sales leads by targeting companies based on their trade activities
Is PIERS right for you?
Nearly all of the top 20 ocean carriers, many of the world’s biggest NVOCCs and 3PLs, and transportation, energy, chemical, agriculture and finance companies trust PIERS for their trade data.
PIERS U.S. Data Coverage
- U.S. waterborne import and export trade data covering 100% of U.S. port locations
- Total bills of lading: 16,060,444 processed in 2023 with over 2 billion data fields
- Company records: 30 million records in 2023 with 1 million distinct company names
- Average daily bills of lading processed: 44,001
- Trading countries: 217
- Historical data: Back to 2003
- U.S. export bills of lading: 4,560,091 processed in 2023, including:
- Non-containerized export MTONs: 613,306,350
- Distinct containers: 7,391,950
PIERS Non-U.S. Data Coverage
- Data for 17 countries in Central and South America, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Philippines.
- Import and export bills of lading, including importer and exporter names: Central America, Chile, Ecuador, India, Pakistan, Mexico, Peru, Vietnam and Turkey
- Detailed import and export data, including company names: Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Turkey and Argentina (importer names only)
PIERS Data Fields
- Bill of lading number
- Vessel name, IMO code, voyage number
- Ocean carrier/shipping line
- NVOCC
- Consignee name/address (only for U.S. imported shipments, not for U.S. exported shipments)
- Shipper name/address (included for both imports/exports, unless the company has applied for confidentiality from U.S. States Customs)
- Notify name/address (only for U.S. imported shipments, not for U.S. exported shipments)
- Location and country of lading
- Departure date (included for U.S. exports, arrival date indicated for U.S. imports)
- Location and country of destination
- Port of discharge/transshipment port
- Description of goods (full description and PIERS-generated summary)
- Weight
- Container number(s)
- Six-digit HS code
- Master and house bill of lading numbers
- Estimated value
- Vessel flag/country of registry
- Containerized/non-containerized
- Refrigerated, potentially hazardous, roll-on/roll-off cargo
The PIERS Difference
When you subscribe to PIERS, you are getting the highest quality data, which our specialists have cleansed, standardized and enhanced through a six-step process.
Step One: Structure
PIERS specialists structure disparate data sources into a single model.
Step Two: Standardize
PIERS specialists normalize various names, abbreviations and codes for ports to a reference set.
Step Three: Validate
PIERS specialists validate voyage information against port entry and exit logs published by U.S. Customs.
Step Four: Code
PIERS specialists parse raw text cargo descriptions into brief commodity descriptions and assign Harmonized System (HS) codes.
Step Five: Calculate
PIERS specialists calculate consistent weight and TEU values across the entire data set, accounting for consolidated shipments, multiple commodities, filings errors and other special cases.
Step Six: Enhance
PIERS specialists use PIERS historical reference sets and algorithms for added value data points – identifying refrigerated cargo, adding company data and more.
FAQ
Maritime & Trade Research and Analysis
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