SEATTLE -- The rush is on for some businesses ordering more goods from China and looking to take advantage of a temporary rollback on steep tariffs.
Washington truckers are hopeful this will bring more business in a matter of weeks as they struggle to stay above water during President Trump's trade war.
A new report out Friday shows bookings for shipping containers from China to the U.S. have spiked almost 300 percent. Multiple Chinese media outlets have reported that suppliers are working overtime to meet the surging demand from U.S. companies looking to restart orders.
Day truck drivers explained they are not seeing more vessel calls so far during this tariff reduction period, but they are optimistic that could change in weeks or months.
JK Choi is typically hauling containers of food to grocery store warehouses, but on Friday his 2008 Volvo semi was parked in Auburn.
"I do worry. I see a lot of people parked their trucks and many friends are trying to survive, so they do Uber," Choi stated.
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The Northwest Trucker Association president explained the uncertainty of flipflopping tariff rates has led some customers to stop ordering from China altogether. That, combined with fewer orders since the pandemic, is impacting his company Rehoboth International, and others.
"Are you worried about not making enough money to operate?" KOMO's Jackie Kent asked.
"Yes," Choi responded. "In 2025, I already am losing money, but I am hopeful I will retrieve in the months of June and July."
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President Trump on Monday announced a 90-day tariff reduction on Chinese imports from 145-percent to 30-percent as a way to allow more time for trade negotiations.
Choi believes if customers will start ordering again during this stretch, his work could boost in a matter of weeks.
This Northwest Seaport Alliance report shows out of 166 expected sailings in Seattle and Tacoma for May and June, 17 of them have been canceled or skipped. That's five more missed sailings than the same period last year.
A spokesperson in a statement writes: "It usually takes a vessel a few weeks to cross the ocean and if you add in the time it takes to call all the ports in the service line it can be 4-5 weeks before a vessel leaving China calls our port. So, we will likely start seeing vessels that left Asia during the height of tariffs now, and any rush in cargo due to them being reduced in about 3-5 weeks."
The alliance adds that some larger retailers were able to stash cargo in bonded warehouses or just over the border, so those shipments could also be coming in soon.