In today’s freight market, managing cost is no longer enough. You have to manage timing, tariffs, and trucks; all at once.
With new U.S. tariffs hitting Chinese imports in early 2025, supply chain teams across the country are scrambling. Tariffs on electronics, industrial machinery, and consumer goods have surged, while coastal warehousing costs continue climbing. It’s created the perfect storm: higher landed costs, tighter margins, and delayed cash flow.
Yet some importers aren’t cutting back. They’re getting strategic. And their logistics teams, especially in trucking and cross-border ops, are the ones leading the charge.
The Strategy Gaining Ground: Route Through Canada
Here’s the model that’s starting to reshape how supply chains handle rising duties:
Goods arrive at major U.S. ports and are moved in bond directly to bonded warehouses in Canada using full truckload carriers. Once in Canada, freight is stored at significantly lower rates. When customer orders come in, product is shipped back into the U.S. in smaller quantities. Companies then apply for duty drawback to recover a portion of the duties paid.
This approach allows for greater control over when duties are paid, where inventory sits, and how fast cash flows back into the business.
Where Trucking Comes In
This strategy is only possible because of the resilience and flexibility of the trucking industry.
Bonded carriers are essential in moving freight across borders efficiently. Full truckload in bond from a U.S. port to Ontario or British Columbia is not just legal – it’s fast, secure, and compliant with customs regulations. Trucking is the engine powering this workaround.
In fact, carriers who specialize in bonded freight are seeing increased demand for these exact types of movements. As ports stay congested and rail becomes more rigid, trucks remain the most agile piece of the puzzle. In this environment, adaptability is everything and trucking delivers it.
Why This Works in 2025
This isn’t a long-term gamble. It’s a short-term advantage based on current realities:
- Canadian warehousing costs remain lower, supported by a weaker CAD
- U.S. coastal warehouse rates are skyrocketing, in some cases over $25 per pallet per month
- Duty drawback programs are underutilized but offer up to 99 percent recovery
- Delaying U.S. duty payment helps importers align costs with sales cycles
The logistics teams enabling this shift are doing more than moving freight. They’re creating financial breathing room in a tariff-constrained world.
What It Signals for the Industry
Supply chains that thrive in 2025 will be those that treat customs, storage, and cross-border trucking not as siloed tasks but as parts of a unified, strategic operation.
This strategy also highlights a broader truth: trucking is not just the final mile. It’s the critical link between port clearance, warehousing decisions, and cross-border trade. Without trucks, this model doesn’t move.
If you’re feeling the squeeze from tariffs and rising logistics costs, the answer may not be found in renegotiating vendor contracts or cutting corners. It may be found in how you move your freight and where you store it.
As we head deeper into a trade-heavy 2025, creative cross-border trucking strategies are not fringe tactics. They’re becoming essential tools in modern supply chain playbooks.
The companies staying ahead are not necessarily spending less. They’re spending smarter. And the trucking industry is helping them do it.
Truck & Trade Trends 
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