All articles tagged with “Tariffs”.
CUSMA rewrote tariff treatment when it took effect July 1, 2020, but the supply chain story most people missed was the impact on warehouse operations. The agreement split imports into high-ROO goods (zero tariff, fast clearance) and non-qualifying goods (10–25% duty, tariff-timing strategy). Bonded warehouse went from optional to essential.
The White House warning on illegal transshipment is shifting CBSA exam rates. Containers routed through lower-tariff jurisdictions now face longer holds. For Canadian importers and forwarders, that means exam queues eating drayage windows and cross-dock cutoffs slipping into weekend holding.
Shein didn't fight the EU's €3 duty. It moved. By placing inventory distribution inside the EU before July 1, the platform converted cross-border parcels into domestic shipments, sidestepping tariff collection altogether. The move signals a consolidation trend Canadian importers are already experiencing: when tariffs or regulations compress margin, logistics hubs multiply and consolidation cycles accelerate.
The USTR just opened a Section 301 probe on Vietnam's IP practices. That's a precursor to tariffs. For Canadian importers pulling electronics, apparel, or machinery from Vietnam, the next 12 months mean tariff uncertainty, faster sourcing decisions, and possible surge freight into Port of Montreal before any duties land. Here's what your dock and drayage window look like in the meantime.
US tariff pressure is reshaping supplier networks across North America, and Canadian import-export operations in the Montreal area are feeling it in real time. Importers are spreading orders across new source countries, which means longer lead times, smaller shipments, and tighter drayage windows at the dock. This isn't a sourcing problem—it's an ops problem, and it changes how we coordinate releases and manage our dock SLA.