Issue Date: March 23, 2021 Quote of the Issue: “Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows.” –  Alan Cohen.  Paying More for Less Reliability with Freight Services ShapLight Focus: US importers paid $5.19B in freight services during February 2021, up from $1.95B in February 2020 2021 YTD carrier […]

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it will extend certain Section 301 tariff exclusions on products used to treat COVID-19; these exclusions were previously set to expire on March 31, 2021. The extended exclusions will apply to all products meeting the specified criteria until September 30, 2021. Click here to read […]

On March 4th, 2021, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and United Kingdom (UK) announced a four-month suspension of additional duties on large civilian aircrafts in an effort to resolve one of the longest running World Trade Organization (WTO) disputes. According to the USTR press release, the UK had already stopped applying retaliatory […]

Issue Date: January 15, 2021 Quote of the Issue: “You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.” –  Timber Hawkeye US Domestic: Port and Rail Congestion Crippling Service Levels ShapLight Focus: Dray carriers are requiring bookings at least 12 days in advance for Savannah, Norfolk, […]

Yesterday, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the suspension of additional 25% duties on certain French goods that were originally scheduled to begin on January 6, 2021. According to officials, the decision was made “given that these [Digital Services Tax] investigations are ongoing and have not yet reached any determinations on what, […]

On December 30th, in the latest escalation of the on-going dispute over aircraft subsidies, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it will impose additional Section 301 tariffs on goods imported from the European Union (EU). An additional 15% tariff will be assessed on aircraft parts, as well as 25% tariffs on […]

Yesterday, the European Union (EU) announced that it will raise tariffs on $4 billion worth of goods imported from the US in response to the on-going dispute over aircraft subsidies. Beginning November 10th, the EU will impose additional 15% tariffs on large aircrafts, as well as 25% tariffs on an assortment of other goods – […]

Issue Date: November 4, 2020 Quote of the Issue: “Every storm runs out of rain.” –  Maya Angelou US Trucking Landscape: Truck Driver Shortage in Spotlight during Surge ShapLight Focus: Women comprise only 6% of the current truck driving labor force According to the American Transportation Research Institute, the top trucking industry concerns for 2021 and […]

On October 27, 2020, President Trump issued a Proclamation on Adjusting Imports of Aluminum into the United States, reinstating Canada’s exclusion from additional 10% duties under Section 232 on certain non-alloyed unwrought aluminum articles. As a result, HTS number 9903.85.21 is no longer required for imports of non-alloyed unwrought aluminum articles that are the product […]

Issue Date: October 14, 2020 Quote of the Issue: “There’s something to be said for sitting still and letting things clear, the way morning fog burns off the lake.” –  George Witte FTL Trucking Landscape: Record Rates per Mile ShapLight Focus: In October, FTL trucking rates hit a national average of $2.44 per mile, the highest […]

On September 30th, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced its latest round of product exclusions from Section 301 Chinese tariffs. Similar to the last set of exclusions, the USTR notice features 2 separate sets of exclusions, each containing the specially prepared HTS subheadings partially excluded from Section 301 List 1 and 2 […]

The office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will publish an official notice in the Federal Register later this week asking the public to submit comments on whether the first set of Section 301 List 1 exclusions, currently set to expire on December 28th, should extend an additional year. Each comment will be individually evaluated […]