An article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press has an interview with the CEO of one of the large logistics companies: “I did not vote for a neutron bomb to wipe out supply chains and small businesses 100 days in.”
The piece also includes CRER director Howard Wall:
(T)he nation hasn’t yet felt the full effects of Trump’s tariffs because companies have planned ahead, ordering goods weeks and months in advance. However, the volume of large trucks has ticked down, and there’s a decline in the number of ships booking entry at ports. The unpredictable environment has caused businesses to wait before making significant decisions.
At this stage, the uncertainty has caused plants to idle and companies to lay off employees, Wall said, and soon, there will be shortages of key goods and inputs companies need for production, Wall said. The Trump administration has granted exemptions to certain items, including phones, computers and chips.
“I’m an old man, and I have never seen anything like this,” Wall said. “There’s no rationale, and then it’s poorly executed in many ways.”