Executive Commentary |
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of the global population and nearly a quarter of the world’ s GDP are pursuing trading relationships between member nations in non-dollar denominated currencies. This could weaken the US’ hegemony on global markets and tilt the balance of financial power eastwards.
The tariff war that President Trump has unleashed, particularly against the BRICS members, is an outward manifestation of an attempt to curb the erosion of financial power that the US has enjoyed post Bretton Woods.
Trump’ s policies are designed to create preferential trade pacts and friends— shoring incentives to keep supply chains inside allied, dollarfriendly jurisdictions; more sectoral tariffs and quotas aimed at preserving strategic industries; and greater use of export controls and tech restrictions, as sanctions become less reliable if adversaries use non- dollar systems.
Regardless of the winners and losers from Trump’ s tariff wars, whilst the dollar remains important, it may no longer be the unquestioned global anchor. The coming year will be key in defining US trade policy in a declining dollar era— whether it ushers in Trump’ s promised“ Golden Age” or whether the US will need to adjust to a new reality of having to share global financial power with trade blocs such as BRICS.
National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America
Jose D. Gonzalez
President www. ncbfaa. org
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“ With complex and shifting tariff rules, brokers’ automation systems could not be relied upon 100 % and manual reviews became the norm.”
Al Raffa
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New York / New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association
Al Raffa
President and VP www. nynjforwarders-brokers. org
Customs brokers and freight forwarders are facing mounting stress due to the Trump administration’ s aggressive tariffs, which introduced sweeping and sudden duty hikes on goods from major trade partners. As a result, challenges abound.
With complex and shifting tariff rules, brokers’ automation systems could not be relied upon 100 % and manual reviews became the norm— new tariffs and classification changes rolled out with little advance notice.
A communication oversight at US Customs and Border Protection( CBP) delayed tariff-exempt processing for cargos qualifying under the“ on-the-water” clause, exposing forwarders and brokers to confusion and liability.
Brokers and forwarders increasingly found themselves paying duties on behalf of importers using Automated Clearinghouse or credit terms— if the importer defaulted, the broker would be left holding the
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bill. And, as more shippers turned to expert brokers given the uncertain landscape, this pushed fees up and caused some smaller brokers to struggle with volume and margin.
Finally, with many importers frontloading shipments ahead of tariffs, they created a surge of work for forwarders but also risk of warehouse congestion, mistimed arrivals and inefficient inventory build-up.
Overall, the combination of elevated duties, rapid regulatory change and increased workload forced customs brokers and freight forwarders to invest in compliance teams, technology upgrades and tighter commercial terms— all while operating under heightened risk and margin pressure.
The outlook for 2026 is of great uncertainty. Forecasting has become impossible for cargo owners, which in turn affects customs broker and freight forwarder. New business development in global trade has a higher probability of being paused as importers and exporters pivot to alternative sourcing.
Regardless of the circumstances, the logistics communities’ resolve remains unwavering, and we continue to forge ahead and meet these challenges.
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The customs broker industry is on the frontlines of ensuring imports are cleared through US ports of entry in a timely and compliant manner with government regulations on behalf of most of the nation’ s importers. It is an amazing responsibility, which licensed customs brokers take seriously and deliver with utmost professionalism.
Since US customs brokers must be licensed by Customs and Border
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“ The customs broker industry continuously requires clarity from CBP and PGAs whenever new trade directives are issued by the government.”
Jose D. Gonzalez
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Protection( CBP) to clear legitimate imported goods into the country, the industry appreciates the strong relationship that it has with CBP and other partner government agencies( PGAs) with trade oversight. The customs broker industry, however, continuously requires clarity from CBP and PGAs whenever new trade directives are issued by the government.
On behalf of US importers, the customs broker industry and its software providers require— now more than ever— detailed direction and technical implementation guidance from CBP for every tariff change from
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the White House as soon as possible to properly program, test and implement to ensure trade continues to flow in a compliant manner.
There are numerous small corners in the trade world, like the“ other; other” basket provisions of some Harmonized Tariff Schedule( HTS) codes, which require more time than most to develop the proper disclaim codes or extra coding for an explanation, or some other special need. Allowing extra time to prepare for this type of systemic implementation prior to the actual regulatory rollout gives customs brokers, as
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