Customs Comeback, Sailing Into Silence, & Cosco Crunch
Good morning from The Workday Dash — where customs lines are growing, container lines are shrinking, and tariff lines are getting spicy. 🚚🚢💥
Here’s what’s moving (or...not):
🔹 DHL hit pause on high-value shipments last week but is now back in action — just with a few extra layers of red tape.
🔹 The U.S.–China trade war is hammering West Coast port traffic, with container volumes falling off a cliff.
🔹 And if that wasn’t enough, new tariffs on Chinese-built ships are adding even more chaos to the shipping lanes.
Shipping delays? Port backups? Extra fees? Welcome to 2025, where the only thing moving faster than freight...is the plot twists.
“Do what you love and success will follow. Passion is the fuel behind a successful career.”
DHL hit “pause” — and now they’re back. 🚚📦
After halting shipments over $800 last week thanks to a customs shakeup (and a mountain of new paperwork), DHL has officially resumed high-value deliveries to U.S. consumers.
✅ Shipments between $800–$2,500 are now sliding through the "informal" customs process
✅ Business-to-business shipping was never affected — but regular consumers definitely felt the squeeze
✅ Backlogs are still clearing, so expect some delays
Why You Should Care:
In logistics, one new rule can throw your entire network into chaos. If it can trip up giants like DHL, the rest of us need to stay even sharper. Compliance isn’t just red tape — it’s mission-critical.
🔥 Hot Take:
In global shipping, speed matters. But adaptability? That’s what keeps you alive when the goalposts move mid-game.
The slowdown isn’t coming — it’s here. 🚢📉
The U.S.–China trade war is punching a hole in West Coast port traffic:
✅ Container vessels from China to LA and Long Beach dropped 29% in a week
✅ Year-over-year? Down 44%
✅ TEU volumes have almost halved in just a few weeks
And it’s not just the ports feeling it — trucking loads tied to those containers have dropped by over 700,000 nationally. Ocean carriers like Maersk, CMA CGM, and Hapag Lloyd are slashing sailings left and right to deal with the collapse.
Why You Should Care:
Less ocean freight = fewer truckloads = fewer paydays across the entire supply chain. This isn’t a blip — it's a reality check for anyone moving freight.
🔥 Hot Take:
Right now, it’s not just ships getting canceled — it’s paychecks too. Welcome to the freight famine.
New U.S. port fees are about to make global shipping way more complicated. 🚢💥
The latest move? Tariffs on Chinese-built and Chinese-operated ships.
✅ Most carriers can sidestep it by swapping in Korean or Japanese ships.
✅ But Cosco — one of the world’s biggest — is taking a direct hit.
✅ Fewer Chinese ships at U.S. ports could mean higher rates and fewer options for American importers.
Carriers are already scrambling with workarounds like Caribbean transshipments and smaller vessels. Long-term? It could distort shipbuilding markets, delay fleet turnover, and jam up supply chains even more.
Why It Matters:
Fewer carriers = less competition = higher costs for everyone moving freight. If you’re in logistics, you’ll feel it — whether you're at the port, on the road, or managing supply chains.
🔥 Hot Take:
Congrats, America — you didn’t just tax Cosco. You taxed your own supply chain into slower ships and bigger bills.
The Workday Dash is an aggregation of articles regarding the transportation logistics, trucking, and supply chain industries for July 25, 2025, from iLevel Logistics Inc.