Government 2025 Annual Review & Outlook
Executive Commentary
reluctant to return to the days of death by 1,000 rate cuts . They will have to avoid chasing cutthroat rates or cutting their own throats as a matter of self-interest .
While ocean carriers move in lockstep for the most part , let ’ s hope this temporary paradigm shift in thinking on profits vs . market share will hold for the coming year ( s ). Stability in the market is welcome and needed . Cargo owners and manufacturers need stability in pricing , as do consumers . Will the industry hold firm on pricing , or will it return to the mentality that has long doomed its financial stability ? It ’ s hard to predict , but things do change sometimes .
New York New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders & Brokers Association
Jeanette Gioia
President www . nynjforwarders-brokers . org
Since COVID , the role of information in an effectively functioning supply chain has become increasingly apparent . The US government holds a natural leadership role and responsibility to facilitate digitalization and information sharing , particularly amongst the parties moving cargo through US sea , air and inland ports .
It is especially critical to have accurate , real-time information if growing cargo volumes are to be managed within the framework of port resources . Without this , freight risks being stuck , ports get congested and costs quickly spiral out of control . Our membership of forwarders and brokers spend unnecessary time obtaining basic information to enable the pickup and return of export containers and the availability and empty return locations for import loads .
A good example of the practical role that government can play is that of the Federal Maritime Commission ’ s ( FMC ) inquiry into the current and potential use of data in maritime transport . After considerable study , it recommended the establishment of a Maritime Data Transportation System to standardize key terminology and the transmission
“ The re-election of Donald Trump — and his ‘ America First ’ agenda , if implemented as promised — can be expected to have a significant effect on the already high cost of goods imported into the US for importers , retailers and consumers .”
Beth Ring , Esq .
“ How cargo information is moved has become just as important as the physical pickup and delivery of the freight itself .”
Jeanette Gioia
“ In a time when completing a single project takes decades and cost overruns grow , America cannot afford unnecessary bureaucracy .”
Tracy Zea
Sandler , Travis & Rosenberg , P . A .
Beth Ring , Esq .
Senior Member www . strtrade . com
The re-election of Donald Trump — and his “ America First ” agenda , if implemented as promised — can be expected to have a significant effect on the already high cost of goods imported into the US for importers , retailers and consumers .
The Section 301 China tariffs of 25 % on most products , as well as the Section 232 tariffs of 10 % on aluminum and 25 % on steel — implemented in the first Trump administration — were continued in the Biden administration with some slight modifications . If campaign promises can be relied upon , president-elect Trump is expected to raise tariffs of at least 10 % on all imports and at least another 60 % on Chinese imports . While there was a somewhat robust “ exclusion ” process for the 301 tariffs in place during the first Trump administration , those exclusions had expired without any renewal process during the Biden administration . However , it is unknown at this point whether the anticipated additional China tariffs will simply replace or be cumulated with those currently in place , and whether any new exclusion process would be made available by the new administration .
The punitive effects of the China tariffs may have at least partially materialized , at least with respect to US-based firms manufacturing and sourcing in China who were incentivized to move some , if not all , operations outside of China . It has been reported that between 2017 and 2023 , China ’ s share of US imports fell from 22 % to 14 %. This shift in supply chains , also driven by factors such as changing geopolitics , government incentives , labor supply and freight costs , has seen relocations to countries such as Mexico , India and Southeast Asia more than necessarily reshoring to the US , a trend that may further shift with rising protectionism in the US .
of real-time cargo status information to help achieve in-transit visibility for cargo retrieval and delivery .
Taking it one step further to provide an incentive for positive change , the National Shipper Advisory Committee ( NSAC ) to the FMC proposed that a rulemaking be initiated requiring ocean carriers to provide specific , timely container data elements while cargo is within their network . To the NSAC list should be added container appointment availability . Failure to provide these data would be considered an unreasonable practice . Our association hopes that the FMC will accept this recommendation . It will contribute to increased transparency and reduce current inefficiencies in obtaining basic information necessary to arranging freight release and delivery .
How cargo information is moved has become just as important as the physical pickup and delivery of the freight itself .
Waterways Council , Inc .
Tracy Zea
President and CEO www . waterwayscouncil . org
Last year marked the 200th anniversary of the US Army Corps of Engineers ’ ( USACE ) Civil Works mission . It began in 1824 when our nation ’ s fifth president , James Monroe , signed into law a bill to improve navigation on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers . While USACE projects have always been large and complex , the Civil Works program has slowly evolved over time to incorporate new regulations , policies , shifts from political pressures and unfortunately , cumbersome bureaucracy . Projects
60 Journal of Commerce | January 6 , 2025 www . joc . com