Dan Healy
October 1, 2024
When the U.S. announced new reciprocal tariffs on Chinese-built ships, it wasn’t just a headline—it was a signal. The rules of global shipping are changing, and not gradually.
Suddenly, the usual playbook—annual negotiations, stable lanes, predictable pricing—feels outdated. Markets aren’t just volatile. They’re splintered.
Freight’s Not Just Unpredictable. It’s Unstructured.
We’re now in an era where:
- Tariffs stick around and evolve into ongoing standoffs
- Port and infrastructure fees spike without warning
- Geopolitical shocks make formerly reliable routes unusable overnight
This isn’t a blip. It’s the new baseline. And it's not price pressure that's killing predictability—it's policy.
Fragmentation Has a Cost
You might feel it already:
- Rate cards are bloated with fluctuating surcharges
- Spot prices are creeping into what used to be locked-in contracts
- Even trusted vendors are quietly adjusting terms mid-cycle
The result? Hidden costs. Murky comparisons. Zero control over your total landed cost.
What Leading Shippers Are Doing About It
Forward-thinking BCOs are moving fast to rebuild their freight strategy around clarity and control. That means:
- Centralizing all rate types — fixed, spot, accessorial, amended
- Running "what if" models before new tariffs hit
- Writing contracts with triggers for renegotiation
- Spreading risk across more lanes, modes, and ports
- Automating rate ingestion so updates don’t get missed
Why Tech Is the Differentiator
You can’t react fast if you don’t know what’s changed. That’s where platforms like Ship Angel come in:
- Unified visibility across ocean, trucking, and air
- Amendment Guard to catch silent cost increases
- AI-powered answers to complex cost routing questions
- A single source of truth that updates as fast as the market shifts
Clarity Over Everything
Rates will rise and fall. Tariffs may fade—or not. But the bigger shift is here to stay: fractured freight environments where agility wins.
The smartest teams aren’t looking for stability. They’re building systems that thrive in uncertainty.
About Ship Angel
Ship Angel is a cutting-edge rate management platform for direct shippers, offering innovative solutions in rate management, amendment guard, invoice auditing, and sustainability reporting. Powered by AI, Ship Angel helps shippers manage rates efficiently, ensure contract accuracy, and optimize cost savings. With a commitment to transparency, Ship Angel works across industries to help companies avoid costly disruptions and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving global trade environment.
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