Denim does something called freight factoring. This is when a third-party buys a trucking company's invoices for delivered loads at a discount, in exchange for immediate payment. This cuts down on the amount of time truckers have to wait to be paid for their work and improves cashflow for trucking companies.

Truckers live directly within the supply chain. So naturally, we had to ask Sean how his clients felt about the tariffs. He admits that there has been a ton of tension in the air.

“People were nervous,” he explained, especially as tariffs on Chinese goods topped 145% in April. People were so nervous, in fact, that Sean felt compelled to reach out directly to his clients.

“We’re begging you,” he wrote, “please be careful. Let’s work to keep your balances at a healthy level.”

Sean found that his clients were receptive to the message. In fact, many were bracing for the worst.

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Fortunately, he says, “We have not seen our fears materialized.”

The biggest of those fears was a total stoppage of imports from China. Instead, Sean tells us, what happened “was not necessarily a stoppage but a lot of rerouting and rescheduling. It looked like a ‘black swan event’, but it has not materialized in that way.”

Yes, but…

“Tariffs might change four times between now and when people see this,” Sean joked.

The most dire economic forecasts have predicted shortages on essential goods and bare shelves in grocery stores as soon as this summer. From his vantage point, Sean doesn’t see that happening, at least, “not yet.” 

“But,” he continues, "I say that with some trepidation because things change fast.”

Broadly speaking, Sean says, “Everybody appreciates the intention of more goods in America. Apple pie and all of that.”

But, in a global economy that runs on Just In Time delivery and 24/7 fulfillment, the “greatest negative impact so far,” says Sean, “is the uncertainty of being able to invest capital and make long-term decisions.”

Freighting companies are constantly trying to figure out whether there’s placement on ships for their goods, which trucking lanes are open to them, whether they’ll have enough shipping containers for their next order, etc. Our global trade shakeup makes it difficult to time things right. 

And as Sean warns, “You can kill your business by buying things at the wrong time.” 

So is sanity or equilibrium coming soon?

In fact, says Sean, this kind of unpredictability is quite familiar to veterans of the freight biz.

“This is how this industry has worked for decades,” he explains.

In order to survive in this space, business owners have to be careful. Sean observes that “The economy is working. The balance is happening. It’s just not nice sometimes.”

Now I know what you’re thinking. What the hell does any of that have to do with the annual vidalia onion harvest?

Well, sure they do. But to find out what these layers have to do with the trucking industry, you’ll have to check out the whole episode.