SAVANNAH, Ga. () – While numerous consumers are experiencing the effects of the tariffs introduced by the Trump administration a few weeks ago, those responsible for delivering goods also report feeling the impact.
“It’s been a couple of months since Trump enacted the tariffs with China and similar measures,” explained Dequan Smalls, a worker in the local transportation industry. “Right away, we noticed a significant decline in the number of containers passing through the Savannah port. So, that presented an immediate challenge.”
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump unveiled a series of tariffs on various products, including cars, steel, aluminum, and a range of other items.
With importers now footing the bill on those tariffs, those who work in the shipping industry are already seeing changes.
“People that are driving trucks are getting less freight, less loads, things like that, and that’s transitioning from the port to the warehouse, to the dock workers, and everybody in between,” Smalls said.
UPS recently announced they plan on cutting 20,000 jobs this year.
Now, some are worried about other cuts that could be coming down the pike.
“The major corporations that are freight pullers and things like that, they’re doing fine,” Smalls said. “The smaller mom and pops or the companies that may be contractors and things like that, they’re starting to see the effects of them hit them first because they have to fight more already as it is to get freight and to get work for their workers.”
According to Georgia’s 2024 International Trade Report, China and Mexico were the top two countries that Georgia received imported goods from, totaling $35.8 billion combined.
Lower tariffs began on May 14 for China, but, beyond that time frame, it’s unknown what the rates will look like.
“If you’re in the transportation industry or you work for the ports or you work in warehouses or things like that, you may want to consider looking for another career choice because if things don’t change, it’s going to start with those areas first, and a lot of people will be highly affected,” Smalls said.
