U.S. importers are increasingly relying on customs brokers to keep up with President Donald Trump’s ever-changing trade policies. But booming demand for help in processing foreign goods has made these services more expensive, adding another cost to the tariff burden, industry players told Reuters.
Customs brokerages, until recently an anonymous branch of the import ecosystem, handle the paperwork needed to process shipments and calculate tariff bills. Mom-and-pop brokers interviewed by Reuters say they are raising fees, while major logistics firms like Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx and Germany-based DHL are also adding staff to their customs compliance teams.
Independent brokers like Laredo, Texas-based JD Gonzalez are fielding dozens of questions daily from concerned clients struggling to understand what they may owe to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and whether to go ahead with shipments or hold off.
Market research firms ballpark customs brokering as a roughly $5 billion industry in the United States. Hiring a broker is optional, but the increasing complexities of U.S. tariffs and customs regulations are leading more importers to shell out the cash.
Brokers are also spending more time and labor on customs forms than ever, and have in some cases implemented new IT systems.
“With all the new information we have to process, some of the automation we've used has been thrown out, so there’s more work to do,” said JD Gonzalez, who is also president of custom brokerage trade group NCBFAA.
Read article here
