Los Angeles (News Nation) – As President Trump has postponed 25% tariffs on most goods from Mexico for a month amid widespread fears about the effects of a wider trade war, American truckers are waiting to see what happens next in the industry.
Truck drivers have told News Nation that they are hampering major changes without a clear roadmap, and the American Truck Transport Association has said it is warning the Trump administration of unintended consequences.
There is a lot of anxiety throughout the supply chain, and truckers are the key to bringing all their consumer items to your door. There is a new grace from Mexico, but Canada's tariffs have begun. Some truckers say they are turning around at the US-Canadian border to avoid a new 25% payment at customs.
“There's a lot of uncertainty about what the next day brings,” said Greg Debuque, a third-generation truck driver.
Like many others in the industry, he worries about an uncertain future, but things continue with Liberty Linehoul West Trucking, which has been transporting goods between the US and Canada for decades. Before the tariffs began, clothing, produce and all sorts of items had already been moved, so businesses are beginning to pay to keep business projects and perishable products in their pipelines.
Almost half of US imports come from Mexico, Canada and China. In the short term, unlocking the process is more expensive than paying new US tariffs to nearly three million American truckers.
“We need to keep rolling the wheels, and that's certainly true and we arbitrate on the freight of a good customer who pays the bill,” says Dubuque. “If it weren't, it would really hurt our industry in the short term.”
Dubuque said if a fleet of 40 truckers stops for just one day, the cost would be a $50,000 “neighborhood.”
