Trucking Reacts to Trump's Sweeping Tariffs
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President Donald Trump announced new tariff rates on dozens of trading partners just before hitting his trade deal deadline Aug. 1.
Trump clarified in that executive order that most of the tariffs won’t go into effect until Aug. 7. This coming after he already delayed the bulk of his tariff actions a few times. The order comes in addition to already announced tariffs including a baseline of 10% for trading partners.
“In just 48 hours, we witnessed a sweeping wave of U.S. trade and tariff developments,” said Mike Short, president of global forwarding at “These measures are either already in effect or will be implemented within the month. Companies just experienced a very concentrated burst of trade policy activity, and most of them have exceptions and nuances. Safe to say, our customs team is very busy. Everyone is wanting to understand how these new impacts affect them.”
Short pointed to other recent trade issues as well such as the president being challenged in court for citing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify his tariffs. There also was a separate order to raise rates on Canadian goods, new copper tariffs of 50% and the de minimis exemption being suspended globally for all countries. C.H. Robinson is currently working with customers to help them reduce their tariff exposure. The company ranks No. 2 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America.
President Trump delivered a knockout win over the distorted global trading order that has disadvantaged American workers, farmers, and manufacturers for decades.
The "Trump Round" of trade negotiations accomplished what the WTO and multilateral negotiations have failed to… — United States Trade Representative (@USTradeRep)
“Now that tariffs are taking effect, timing is everything,” said Zeid Houssami, senior vice president and global head of freight forwarding at . “We’re urging shippers to lock in production schedules, push factories to hit cargo-ready dates and get goods moving before higher rates cascade through the system. On Asia-U.S. trade lanes, we’re also recommending shippers consider alternate routings or consolidations to control costs.”
Houssami pointed out that the tariffs are not impacting every trading partner the same. That includes all the countries that still face uncertainty because they don’t have a deal. He warned that there is an inflection point coming for importers draining front-loaded inventories for those countries. Uber Freight is working with customers to model different tariff scenarios.
White House unveils new tariff plan for every country just hours ahead of its trade deal deadline. — CNN (@CNN)
“At this point, the likelihood of avoiding tariffs altogether has significantly decreased, with universal tariffs starting at 10%,” said Jenna Slagle, senior data analyst at Project44. “Companies now need to focus on strategies to mitigate the impact of these tariffs.
'U.S. Consumers Will Feel the Effects'
“Some approaches include sourcing from lower-tariff countries, or domestically, if feasible for the industry, working with suppliers to help offset the additional costs and identifying areas to cut costs elsewhere. Despite these strategies, it’s likely that U.S. consumers will feel the effects of tariffs in their wallets.”
Slagle, however, points to the ongoing legal debates over the legitimacy of these tariffs. She noted that it’s possible there could be another pause or additional trade deals, especially considering tariff policies have been fluid since earlier in the year.
“Between the Aug. 1 tariffs, the announced suspension of de minimis exemptions on Aug. 29, and the upcoming Sept. 1 [Harmonized System] code mandate, cross-border shipping is entering a new era of complexity and scrutiny,” said Alison Layfield, vice president of product development at ePost Global. “But right now, everything is clear as mud. We’re still waiting on key details, and the White House says more information is coming, but expanding to nearly the entire globe without a clear process in place raises real concerns for shippers and logistics providers alike.”
Layfield added that it is clear the old playbook for trade is no longer viable. She warned that businesses need to prepare for tighter enforcement and start getting their Harmonized System codes, product data and country-of-origin documentation in order.
Continued Supply Chain Uncertainty
“The tariff topic has already created a lot of uncertainty for companies with global supply chains for the past seven months, and will continue to do so as not all countries have reached new agreements with the U.S.,” said Michelle Comerford, industrial and supply chain practice leader at Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co. “For U.S. manufacturers with domestic supply chains, this could create a competitive advantage — but for those reliant on imports, it adds cost pressures and more risks of disruption. We expect many firms will revisit sourcing strategies and accelerate plans for regionalized manufacturing footprints as a result.”
Comerford added that tariffs alone won’t be enough to drive reshoring for manufacturing but also noted they certainly are a catalyst for that. The challenge now, she said, will be navigating this policy shift while managing costs, timelines, supply continuity and other risks.
“If tariffs drive up prices for consumer goods, overall demand may drop — leading to fewer shipments and directly impacting freight volume across the trucking industry,” said Anthony Sasso, president of equipment finance at TD Bank. “Tariffs on imported parts and materials — such as tires, engines or electronics — could increase costs for fleet maintenance and new truck purchases, squeezing already thin profit margins.”
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