President Donald Trump’s tariffs and trade policy are not expected to negatively impact U.S. freight, according to data from Mothership, a tech marketplace for freight, and other industry reports.

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“Many businesses outside of the U.S. have increased their shipments in the U.S. as tariffs went into effect,” said Rick Chen, a Mothership company spokesperson, referring to the 10% tariffs on imported goods from China, which went into effect on Feb. 1. Chen noted that some major third-party logistics providers’ average daily shipments in the U.S. saw increases in the number of shipments, value of goods moved and weight shipped after the tariff, suggesting no front-loading or slowdown in trade.

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“We haven’t seen major decreases in freight shipments or volumes, even among some of our customers with significant international exposure. Many shippers have optimized their supply chain, often by working with Mothership or other U.S. partners, which has helped boost demand for less-than-truckload freight and same-day shipments,” Chen said.

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Data from the trade association representing the U.S. trucking industry came to a similar conclusion as Mothership.

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“Truck volumes are expected to grow 1.6% in 2025 and ultimately rise to nearly 14 billion tons by 2035,” the American Trucking Associations said in a press release earlier this year. The same statement also noted trucking will likely remain the dominant mode of freight transportation in tonnage and revenue in the U.S.

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How businesses should respond to tariffs

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The United States will start 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico on March 4 and enact a new 10% tariff on China the same day, doubling the 10% tax on imports first enacted earlier this month. Further tariffs—Trump’s so-called “reciprocal” tariffs—will soon follow for other countries and economies.

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Tariffs can cause significant disruptions to companies, but they do not have to. Shippers can limit risks by moving parts of their supply chain to other countries. However, Trump’s planned reciprocal tariffs may make the strategy less effective as more economies get hit with an import tax over time.

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If a company’s goods are destined for the U.S., bringing more of the supply chain to the U.S. is a surefire way to avoid tariffs. Working with a reliable, U.S.-based technology partner to manage logistics can also help save costs, time and stress.

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Mothership eliminates some tariff and trade uncertainty risks for companies. It is a tech marketplace specializing in less-than-truckload and same-day shipments that matches freight with multiple vetted, top carriers for more reliable, fast deliveries in the U.S., eliminating the risk that one carrier or freight partner upends a company’s operations.

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Notably, Mothership gives companies access to pre-negotiated rates without long-term contracts or shipment minimums and, as a result, offers up to 50% lower rates than other freight providers. Shippers do not need to work with brokers or wait for quotes and access real-time pricing, thousands of vetted, insured carriers and the country’s largest box truck network.

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The bottom line

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A trusted U.S. logistics partner can help mitigate the cost of tariffs and uncertainty from changes in global trade and shipping policies. Businesses use Mothership to future-proof their supply chains. The company’s technology gives shippers the opportunity to scale up or down their shipping volume as needed without penalty or fees or sacrificing reliability or on-time delivery.

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Methodology

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Mothership analyzed a random sample of nearly 1,000 shipments from third-party logistics companies working on behalf of China-based shippers delivered through its freight marketplace in the United States from Nov. 1, 2024, to Feb. 1, 2025, or three months before President Trump’s 10% tariff on imported goods from China took effect. All data was aggregated and anonymized.

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Rick Chen is the director, communications at Mothership. He was previously the head of communications or company spokesperson for Credit Karma, Gusto, Metromile and Blind and has been featured in accounting, HR, insurance and tech trade publications and national outlets like CNBC, Forbes, Lifehacker, Reuters, Rolling Stone and more.