US Tariffs
- Thread starter jonny-chicken
- Start date
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anyone dealing with customers threatening to backcharge tariffs if trucks don’t cross by the deadline? I’ve got one trying to push a shipment on the 1st and claiming they'll backcharge if it doesn’t make it. With brokers slammed and a lineup that’ll probably stretch for miles, I’m not optimistic. Fun times…
Got lots trying to cross certain loads before tariffs but not one has threatened to back charge, that's wild.
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Yeah pretty much just told them they need to ship on the 31st and that we are not responsible for any tariffs that are billed to them if they decide to ship on the 1st. Just thought it was odd.
We have a few carriers that have blurbs like this on their email tag:
**IMPORTANT NOTE**
IN LIGHT OF BOTH RECENTLY IMPOSED & POTENTIAL IMPENDING U.S TARIFF’S - we are NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TARIFFS AND/OR TARIFF RELATED CHARGES ASSOCIATED WITH SCHEDULED/COLLECTED SHIPMENTS.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, CONCERNS OR INQUIRIES REGARDING THESE TARIFFS, PLEASE DISCUSS DIRECTLY WITH YOUR CUSTOMS BROKER.
Seems nuts to me that a customer would try to blow this back on the carrier.
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Remind them of what the Standard Bill of Lading has to say about “meeting certain markets”. Unless you enter into a contract where you willingly give up the rights and protections provided by a properly completed Bill of Lading, a carrier would be under no obligation to reimburse a customer for tariff charges .
Legal obligation sure.
But if they give you 150k of revenue a week and say all that goes bye bye unless you eat these tariffs...
End of the day, customer holds most of the cards.
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It is always your call as the carrier, whether you want to give away your money or not. I get it, sometimes writing off a few thousand to save a few hundred thousand is the right call. Shippers are usually the first to use the provisions of the B/L to protect their interests. Carriers should feel free to do the same.
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I had one LARGER than usual order pickup today... customer wants to get as much shipped today to avoid any possible tariffs next week. So it shipped out today and will be at the receiver in Barrie bright and early Monday morning. So you'd think they'd be happy...well not so fast.. hold the phones!!! Receiver now UNHAPPY... says he has no room on his dock for such a massive order. I told him to check with the geniuses in his front office who hopefully haven't already left for the day.
Sounds like a great opportunity for you to arrange a warehouse storage option. It's funny how they will do anything to save a couple thousand for the tarriff, spend hundreds to manage it yet balk at an additional 50 bucks under regluar situations when there is detention.
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That had crossed my mind; however, this all took place late Friday afternoon, and there was no time left for me to arrange anything. In a pinch they were able to find the room on their dock..likely someone told the warehouse manager to find the space..or find another job.
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And now they will spend the next couple weeks playing full size tetris whenever they want to find something! haahahaa...
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Yes, driver said they have boxes stacked everywhere... some even stacked next to the urinals... restaurant supplies.. yikes..whatever works I guess..
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Had a customer call me 2 days into transit and tell me if its not over the border before midnight they are passing along the tariff bill to me. They also told me if it can't make the midnight cutoff to not bother crossing the border and to take the freight back to the shipper which would be 1000 miles back.
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2 days in transit and it's 1000 miles? I hope there's more to the story because 1000 miles is doable in 2 days.
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Senator Tim Caine of Virginia has got a bill underway.. at least he's trying! There are others.. Republican senator Rand Paul has been quite outspoken about the harm tariffs will cause. There are governors who have been vocal as well.. even red states like KY have expressed their opposition to tariffs. Let's hope it all adds up to something. Stocks down 4 % this morning.. I guess that could be viewed as good news given what some pundits were predicting.
I have one local guy here trying to pull the same crap with me. Told him to pound sand.
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I don't think they're too worried, at the end of the day United Auto Workers are on Orange side and Elon's Tesla isn't too bothered by it since his production is mostly done in the US of A. Markets aren't thrilled obviously but this is just another buying opportunity frankly. Tariffs are actually deflationary so watch as prices will come down across the board.
