The White House issued two recent Executive Orders and Fact Sheets directing the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) to initiate investigations under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (each a “Section 232...more
3/5/2025
/ China ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Investigations ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
National Security ,
Section 232 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department
Geopolitical risks to supply chains are top of mind across C-Suites but few say what it means. The term “geopolitical risk” has largely become a codeword for import, export, and economic sanctions compliance. The fast pace of...more
Independent Contractor Owner-Operators and the Second Trump Administration: Motor Carrier Expectations for the Road Ahead -
The role of independent contractor owner-operators (ICOOs) in the trucking industry has a long...more
2/21/2025
/ Air Carriers ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Background Checks ,
Credit Checks ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employee Credit Checks ,
Employment Contract ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
Motor Carriers ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration ,
Warehouses
This article was originally published shortly after the election on November 26, 2024. It has been updated to reflect updates from Presidential Actions taken after President Trump took office. ...more
2/21/2025
/ America First Trade Policy ,
Canada ,
China ,
International Trade ,
Mexico ,
Popular ,
Public Procurement Policies ,
Section 301 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
The White House issued a Fact Sheet and Presidential Proclamation addressing Section 232 tariff actions on February 10, 2025. These steps strengthen President Trump’s 2018 tariff actions on steel and aluminum imported into...more
2/12/2025
/ Aluminum Sales ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Executive Orders ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
National Security ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Section 232 ,
Steel Industry ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
This article was originally published on February 2, 2025, and has been updated to reflect four additional Executive Orders released on February 3, 2025.
United States supply chains now have a degree of clarity following...more
2/4/2025
/ Canada ,
China ,
Executive Orders ,
International Trade ,
Mexico ,
Retaliation ,
Section 301 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Wars ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies
Artificial intelligence is under close examination in many industries including the transportation, logistics, warehousing, and supply chain services sectors. The quest for innovation, competitiveness, and organizational...more
1/14/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Business Operations ,
Compliance ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Logistics ,
Machine Learning ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Warehouses
Negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are set to resume this week – just days before a January 15, 2025 resolution deadline before the ILA may...more
1/8/2025
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Compliance ,
Contract Terms ,
Exporters ,
Importers ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
Longshoremen ,
Ports ,
Strike ,
Supply Chain ,
Unions
Higher tariffs are coming for some domestic importers even before President-Elect Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025. Our team has been reporting throughout the year on the Biden Administration’s recent use of the...more
President-Elect Trump campaigned on the promise to increase tariffs on imports to the United States. Shortly after the election he announced significant tariffs on goods from the three largest trading partners: China, Mexico,...more
11/27/2024
/ Canada ,
China ,
Importers ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Mexico ,
Section 301 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariff Act of 1930 ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trade Relations ,
Trading with the Enemy Act ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies
Combatting forced labor is growing from aspiration of company boards to a mission-critical focus impacting day-to-day operations. Companies with global footprints are not alone in witnessing acute compliance and reputational...more
11/6/2024
/ Compliance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Rights ,
Imports ,
Modern Slavery Act ,
Multinationals ,
Pending Legislation ,
Popular ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Reputation Management ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) ,
Withhold Release Orders (WROs)
The International Longshoremen’s Association (“ILA”) ended a three-day strike at certain East Coast and Gulf Ports until January 15, 2025. If a new contract is not finalized with the U.S. Maritime Alliance (“USMX”) then...more
11/5/2024
/ Labor Disputes ,
Logistics ,
Longshoremen ,
National Security ,
Ports ,
Shipping ,
Shipping Cargo ,
Strike ,
Supply Chain ,
Taft-Hartley Act ,
Unions
We are now in the era of freedom of contract in the logistics arena. While contracts provide many protections to contracting parties, they can also be used offensively, to affirmatively protect legal rights. There are many...more
11/4/2024
/ Air Cargo ,
Audits ,
Brokers ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Maritime Commission ,
Logistics ,
National Security ,
Shipping ,
Shipping Cargo ,
Small Business ,
Supply Chain ,
Transportation Industry
International laws for cargo liability impact the way enterprises procure transportation and logistics services, the contracts under which those services are purchased, the process for claims adjudication, and the liability...more
Applause can be heard from diverse sectors of private industry as the U.S. Congress redoubles its resolve against threats in the supply chain. New bills introduced in recent months target supply chain challenges at home and...more
10/31/2024
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Distribution Centers ,
Distributors ,
Fraud ,
Logistics ,
Manufacturers ,
National Security ,
Organized Crime ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Shipping Cargo ,
Supply Chain ,
Theft ,
Transportation Industry ,
Warehouses
U.S. supply chain security is increasingly under threat. The White House’s National Security Strategy describes this moment as an inflection point. Many federal agencies have taken charge in elevating the very concept of...more
10/30/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA) ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Controls ,
Infrastructure ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
PHMSA ,
Security Risk Assessments ,
Supply Chain ,
Terrorist Threats ,
TSA
The International Longshoremen’s Association (“ILA”) will have no contract if the current terms expire on September 30, 2024, without a new deal. ILA representatives have indicated that a strike is imminent on October 1,...more
9/24/2024
/ Exporters ,
Importers ,
Labor Disputes ,
Logistics ,
Longshoremen ,
Manufacturers ,
National Security ,
Ports ,
Retailers ,
Shipping ,
Shipping Cargo ,
Strike ,
Supply Chain ,
Taft-Hartley Act ,
Unions
Duty-free imports of low-value goods under the Section 321 program will soon face significant restrictions under rulemaking signaled by the Biden Administration. ...more
9/23/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
De Minimus Quantity Exemption ,
Duty Free ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Importers ,
Imports ,
National Security ,
NPRM ,
Section 321 ,
Supply Chain ,
Textiles ,
US Trade Policies
The importing community received long-awaited clarity in plans for new Section 301 customs duties on Chinese goods this last Friday, September 13. The Office of the US Trade Representative ("USTR") released the final text of...more
9/17/2024
/ China ,
Effective Date ,
Federal Register ,
Importers ,
Imports ,
Section 301 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
The U.S. Department of Transportation is seeking input from industry stakeholders on the role of artificial intelligence in the supply chain.
The DOT’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Infrastructure is one of many...more
7/15/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Data Protection ,
Infrastructure ,
Risk Assessment ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology ,
Transportation Industry ,
U.S. Commerce Department
The U.S. Department of Transportation is seeking input from industry stakeholders on the role of artificial intelligence in the supply chain. The DOT’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Infrastructure is one of many federal...more
7/12/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Common Carriers ,
Compliance ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Forced Labor ,
National Security ,
Nuclear Power ,
Supply Chain ,
Trucking Industry ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) ,
Vessels
We are seeing a steady increase in client imports being detained at port by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on grounds of alleged forced labor in the supply chain....more
7/12/2024
/ China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Entity List ,
Forced Labor ,
Freight Forwarding ,
Human Rights ,
Importers ,
Imports ,
Popular ,
Supply Chain ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
New Section 301 tariffs on imports from China were announced by the Biden Administration on May 14, 2024. The White House circulated a fact sheet directing the United States Trade Representative ("USTR") to exercise tariffs...more
5/17/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Imports ,
Section 301 ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
Courts have clearly established that a shipper cannot prevail in a freight claim against a carrier if an “Act of God” caused the freight loss or damage. The Act of God defense is an original, and one of the most...more
New changes went into effect on February 15, 2024, for imports of low-value items under a program that has gained great significance with the rise of cross-border e-commerce. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published...more