The US Tariff Reset: Why Better Data Now Matters More Than Ever
Section 122 has expired. Section 301 tariffs now reach 60 economies, increasing the importance of accurate product data across air cargo and cross-border logistics.
On 24 July 2026, the United States moved from a temporary 10% Section 122 import surcharge to a new series of Section 301 tariffs covering 60 major trading partners.
The measures apply rates of 10% or 12.5% to most covered imports, with different treatment for selected economies and exemptions for certain products. Together, the affected markets account for approximately 99.4% of US import value.
For freight forwarders, carriers, customs brokers and e-commerce logistics providers, the change creates more than an additional line on a duty calculation.
A shipment’s true cost can now depend on its classification, origin, existing tariff rate, applicable trade agreement, product exemption and any additional trade-remedy duties. The same goods may therefore receive different treatment depending on the quality and accuracy of the information supplied before departure.
From compliance to commercial intelligence
Hurricane Commerce, a trade-intelligence technology partner within the NeX eCommerce ecosystem, describes the shift clearly:
“This is no longer just a tariff issue. It’s a Trade Intelligence issue.”
Compliance determines what a company must do.
Trade intelligence helps it decide how to price the shipment, which entry method to use, whether Delivered Duty Paid remains commercially viable and what information must be communicated to the customer before the cargo moves.
The change is particularly important for cross-border parcels. Duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value US imports has already been suspended, and a new postal informal-entry process began on 24 July. Postal, express and e-commerce operators must now manage duty calculation and customs information at shipment level rather than relying on the former $800 threshold.
Why it matters to the NAP community
For the Neutral Air Partner community, the lesson extends beyond one market or one tariff measure.
Air cargo is becoming increasingly data-dependent. Forwarders need accurate product descriptions, HS codes, origin information and landed-cost calculations before accepting a booking or quoting a customer.
Through NeX eCommerce, Neutral Air Partner’s cross-border e-commerce logistics network, members can connect operational expertise with specialist technologies such as Hurricane’s classification, duty-calculation and compliance-screening tools.
As customs regimes tighten globally, moving cargo successfully will depend not only on capacity and speed, but on whether the data supporting the shipment is complete, accurate and commercially usable.
The tariff clock may have run out.
The race to build smarter, data-led cross-border logistics has only accelerated.
Read Hurricane Commerce’s complete breakdown of the new US tariff regime.
