Tariff Talk Thursday is Back!
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Tariff Talk Thursday is Back!
Visit our Events page for details or register here.
DECEMBER 4, 2025
Harman International Industries Inc. has agreed to pay $11.8 million to settle claims of duty evasion, including antidumping and countervailing duties on extruded aluminum from China, as of last week. The transactions date back as far as June 1, 2011, when Harman began knowingly importing heat sinks containing extruded aluminum from China without paying the required tariffs. The audio electronics company was found to have evaded these duties for nearly 13 years before coming under investigation.
Extreme weather across Southeast Asia over the past week has disrupted transport networks and port operations, particularly in Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Colombo Port in Sri Lanka was shut for three days due to Cyclone Ditwah — the country’s strongest storm in nearly a decade — creating a backlog of vessels and causing berthing delays of two to three days. Although port operations have resumed and yard occupancy remains manageable, inland cargo movement is still hindered by damaged road and rail links. In India, stormy conditions along the east coast have slowed terminal operations and delayed vessel schedules at major ports such as Chennai, Tuticorin, Ennore, and Kattupalli. Meanwhile, flooding in Malaysia and other regional countries has closed roads and impeded container flows to key hubs like Port Klang.
Large U.S. truckload carriers are once again scaling back their fleets as they work to align capacity with persistently weak demand and protect already thinning profit margins. The additional freight volumes carriers had anticipated for the fourth quarter have yet to materialize, leaving docks quieter than expected.
Executives at major truckload operators expect even more capacity to exit the market in the months ahead, particularly among smaller carriers that may struggle with tighter regulatory enforcement. Meanwhile, large carriers continue to redirect equipment and resources toward dedicated contract business, where freight levels and margins remain more stable.
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