DHL is hiring hundreds of customs experts to help businesses navigate unprecedented trade turbulence that is upending supply chains even as the integrated logistics giant expects a more muted peak shipping season this fall.
A barrage of constantly changing U.S. tariff policies has whipsawed freight markets, with shippers fast-forwarding overseas orders to beat tariff deadlines, then reducing imports because inventories are high, and looking to find suppliers outside China — where average U.S. tariffs are 58%. The May 2 cancellation of the de minimis rule, a duty-free exemption for low-value parcels, also sharply reduced airfreight for e-commerce shipments.
In a video briefing for journalists on Monday, DHL executives said they are working overtime helping customers deal with the rising cost, complexity and uncertainty associated with the changing tariff landscape.
“For a small business owner, it can be overwhelming. So we’ve got to be ready to help them mitigate some of these impacts by having advanced customs services, looking at things like foreign trade zones and specialized brokerage options. We have to help them manage the timing of when they owe duty and taxes, how they’re moving inventory around and positioning it for U.S. delivery as it’s coming in,” said Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express U.S.
DHL Express has added more than 680 customs, finance and customer service specialists this year to help small businesses, especially those used to filing minimal documentation for de minimis shipments and who now must submit a formal entry along with import taxes and fees for the first time, manage new compliance requirements, Hewitt said. The extra sta