Ascent Global Logistics Blog

Tips for a Lower-Stress Travel Experience This Summer

One of the busiest travel seasons has arrived, with travelers preparing to take trips that will have them transiting through airports both domestically and internationally, as well as crossing various international borders and possibly interacting with different customs officials. Both U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) share tips to help make those encounters go more smoothly and quickly.

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998, which amended the Shipping Act of 1984, went into effect on May 1, 1999. This shipping act combined non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCC) and ocean freight forwarders under one category labeled "ocean transportation intermediary" (OTI). An intermediary is defined as "a person who acts as a link between people in order to try to bring about an agreement." 

S232 - Steel & Aluminum Tariffs (Worldwide Application)

S232 tariffs were ruled “constitutional” in March of this year by the Court of 

International Trade. With this ruling, the S232 tariffs are expected to continue into the foreseeable future. Since the tariffs went into effect in March of 2018, there have been over 50,000 steel and aluminum exclusion requests made and the Bureau of Industry and Security has approved just over 25,000 through mid-March of this year. Click here to read more about S232 Tariffs on Aluminum and Steel imports.

The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) recently issued a notice, officially "postponing" the tariff rate increase "until further notice." S301 List 3 tariffs will remain at 10 percent instead of increasing to 25 percent. The delayed increase is due to progress in US and China trade negotiations.

Last week, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan announced that CBP will reassign up to 750 officers from ports of entry along the US-Mexico border. These officers will assist US Border Patrol with processing an increased number of migrant crossings.

Ascent Global Logistics’ heavy haul team, Ascent Specialized, was recently recognized by the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) as an industry leader. Our heavy haul team member, Travis Lewellyn, was selected as one of fifteen up-and-coming global leaders that were invited to attend the 2019 Leadership Forum. This event was held in conjunction with the Specialized Transportation Symposium in Houston, Texas.

On February 26, 2019, Walmart revealed changes to their On-Time In Full (OTIF) requirements to suppliers at the Walmart Supplier Summit. Our Retail Consolidation team at Prime Distribution Services, An Ascent Global Logistics Company, would like to share details of Walmart’s new OTIF update highlighted during this year’s Walmart Supplier Summit.

Over the weekend, the US Administration announced that it would postpone increasing S301 List 3 tariffs. The United States and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan to meet to reach a final trade agreement.

Over the last several months, there have been a number of key updates to S232 Tariffs and S301 Tariffs Lists 1-3. In addition, the United States and China continue to hold trade talks. Last week in Beijing, key officials from the United States and China outlined a “10-item list of ways China can reduce its trade surplus with the US."

Congress has requested that the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) create the formal exclusion process for products outlined under the S301 List 3 tariffs. These tariffs for $200 billion worth of imports from China are scheduled to increase from 10 percent to 25 percent on March 2, 2019.