Retailers to continue frontloading amid tariff tumult: forecast
An article from
Dive Brief
A sustained cargo surge at U.S. ports will continue as Trump administration policy uncertainty continues, per the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates’ Global Port Tracker.
Published March 10, 2025
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Dive Brief:
- Cargo volumes at U.S. ports are expected to remain elevated for the next three months in the face of continued tariff pressure, according to the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
- Following a projected 6.1% year-over-year increase in February, volumes will increase 10.8% this month, with levels remaining elevated in April and May. U.S. ports tallied a 13.4% year-over-year hike in January, per the groups’ Global Port Tracker, which tracks loaded import volumes at the nation’s top ports.
- “Retailers are continuing to bring as much merchandise into the country ahead of rising tariffs as possible,” Jonathan Gold, VP of supply chain and customs policy at the NRF, said in a press release Monday.
Dive Insight:
President Donald Trump has already increased import taxes on goods from China by 20% while promising a start of reciprocal tariffs on April 2. These actions are the primary drivers of the frontloading by shippers, according to Gold, even amid last week’s back-and-forth on duties for Canada and Mexico imports.
“The on-again, off-again tariffs against Canada and Mexico won’t have a direct impact on port volumes because most of those goods move by truck or rail,” Gold said.
Last Tuesday, Trump lifted a monthlong pause on the 25% tariffs directed at Canada and Mexico he announced in February. He subsequently delayed the implementation of the duties for goods
