Trump’s tariffs are the ‘new normal’ in global supply chains, expert says

As new ‘reciprocal’ tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are now in force on goods from more than 90 U.S. trade partners, navigating higher duties could be a permanent part of doing business, according to Vinny Licata, head of logistics at Fictiv.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order July 31 to implement a wide range of country-specific tariffs that began on Thursday.

“Companies are seeing tariffs as the new normal,” Licata told FreightWaves in an interview. “There were some pauses in orders earlier due to uncertainty, but now deals are being finalized, and orders are not being delayed as much. As we see more deals, that certainty will allow customers to understand the cost environment, so they can know the impact of all tariffs.”

The slew of new import levies include 50% for goods from Brazil, 39% for Switzerland, 35% for Canada, 30% for China and Mexico, 25% for India, 20% for Vietnam and Taiwan, 19% for Thailand, 15% for Germany and Japan, and 10% for the United Kingdom.