Global shipping companies are going through the most turbulent period in decades due to rapid shifts in policies affecting international trade. According to Yahoo Finance, Patrick Frith, senior director of growth and cross-border at Avalara, said that the last 10 months of 2025 were the most chaotic and turbulent times of his career in cross-border logistics.
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“I can tell you that what has happened in the last 10 months has been the most chaotic and turbulent time of my cross-border career,” Frith said. The period of turmoil began in February when US President Donald Trump’s administration set the stage with concerns about fentanyl, illegal immigration at the southern border, and counterfeit goods. This was followed by a series of tariff announcements, trade negotiations, and policy shifts.
Frith described the situation as “Brexit on steroids”, noting that changes are happening every day with implementations occurring in days rather than years. He said: “Things are changing every day. Deadlines have passed and implementation does not happen within years, but within days.” Although Brexit has developed over nearly three years under clear parameters, the 2025 tariff situation has been so unpredictable that businesses have had little time to prepare.
“With Brexit, there were some delays along the way, but everyone was prepared,” Frith said. “And even then, on implementation day, there was still a bit of chaos.” In contrast, changes are announced in 2025 and implemented within days or sometimes hours.
The series of trade measures began in earnest in March when China was targeted with punitive tariffs. This was followed on April 2 by the imposition of reciprocal tariffs on 51 countries during the Rose Garden event. Trade negotiations followed, with the UK emerging first with a deal signed when Prime Minister Starmer attended a G7 meeting in Canada.
Source: Market intelligence platform IndexBox
