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Fuel Surcharges Hit Small Businesses; How Trump Rewrote U.S. Trade Policy By Mark R. Long | WSJ Logistics Report
Small businesses across the U.S. are starting to feel the indirect effects of the Iran war as parcel carriers raise prices to help cover rising fuel costs .
These additional costs come as many small-business owners are still struggling to adjust to the high cost of the Trump administration's tariffs, the WSJ Logistics Report's Liz Young writes. Now, they are grappling with how to absorb higher fuel surcharges while trying to avoid steep price increases for customers.
Amazon will impose a temporary 3.5% fuel surcharge
on independent merchants using its platform starting April 17, the Journal's Esther Fung reports. The U.S. Postal Service last week announced its first-ever temporary price increase specifically to help cover rising fuel, insurance, vehicle maintenance and other costs. FedEx and United Parcel Service are adjusting their fuel surcharges weekly based on diesel prices.
Companies that ship a large number of packages each year often negotiate lower fuel surcharges into their contracts with parcel carriers. Smaller merchants generally lack the size and scale to lock in the lowest rates, said ShipMatrix President Satish Jindel.
U.S. oil futures notched their biggest daily gain
since they were climbing back from the Covid crash six years ago to close out a whiplash, holiday-shortened week at $111.54 a barrel. The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is set to rejoin Operation Epic Fury
after a five-day port visit in Croatia for repairs and to receive supplies. (WSJ) Foreign ministers from over 40 nations met Thursday in London to prepare for next week's talks on demining the Strait of Hormuz
after the Middle East conflict eases. (WSJ) The containership Safeen Prestige sank in the Strait of Hormuz , a month after it was reportedly struck by at least one Iranian missile. (The Maritime Executive) CONTENT FROM: PENSKE Gain an Edge. Gain Ground With Penske.
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Global Trade
WSJ VIDEO: A year after Trump unveiled his "Liberation Day" tariffs, WSJ's Gavin Bade breaks down how the president has remade U.S. trade policy
to rely on economic coercion rather than cooperation and consent-a stark shift from the past 50 years.
Products that contain steel, aluminum or copper of less than 15% by weight won't be tariffed under a new regime
announced Thursday, and instead will be subject to Trump's separate, 10% global minimum tariff. (WSJ) The U.S. will impose tariffs of up to 100%
on branded pharmaceuticals, though nations or drugmakers that strike deals with the Trump administration or commit to building U.S. factories can face lower levies. (WSJ) Pandora opened a new distribution center
in Ontario, operated by GXO Logistics, allowing the jewelry company to ship directly to Canada instead of through the U.S., in part to cut tariff exposure. (SupplyChain24/7)
The U.S. trade deficit increased in February, continuing a bumpy stretch for international flows of goods amid fast-changing U.S. policy.
February imports were $372.1 billion, up 4.3% from January. U.S. exports that month increased slightly less, by 4.2%, to $314.8 billion. That yielded a February trade deficit
of $57.4 billion, up 4.9% from the January deficit.
Canada's trade deficit surged to a six-month high as shipments of gold drove imports to record levels. (Dow Jones Newswires) Number of the Day In Other News U.S. jobless claims fell
to 202,000 in the week through March 28, down 9,000. (WSJ) South Korea's headline inflation accelerated to 2.2%
in March, driven by surging energy costs from the Iran war. (WSJ) The State Department and Federal Maritime Commission said China's detention of Panama-flagged ships
appeared to be retaliation for Panama's cancellation of CK Hutchison's concessions to operate two port terminals. (Dow Jones Risk Journal) Maine is poised to freeze large data-center construction , which would make it the first state to enact such a measure. (WSJ) Federal regulators are weighing a ban on air-bag components
from China's DTN Airbag after finding the parts were to blame for a dozen crashes over the past three years, involving 10 deaths. (WSJ) Tesla delivered 358,023 EVs in the first quarter, up 6.3% from a year earlier , but missed analyst estimates. (WSJ) Bed Bath & Beyond agreed to acquire
The Container Store and its brands Elfa and Closet Works in a deal worth $150 million. (WSJ) The National Labor Relations Board ruled that Amazon must negotiate with a Teamsters-aligned union
representing workers at a Staten Island warehouse. (Reuters) New York-listed Scorpio Tankers reached a deal with reactor developer Ampera to collaborate and invest $10 million
in exploring zero-carbon power for ships, offshore assets and ports. (Splash247) Japan's Marubeni took full ownership
of DASI, a U.S. aircraft-parts inventory company. (Nikkei Asia)
In this week's Dow Jones Risk Journal Podcast: Federal regulators plan to take a firmer hand with prediction markets, even as they battle states for oversight authority. Also, the government is telling banks to pay attention to healthcare fraud. James Rundle hosts. You can listen to new episodes every Friday on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Amazon .
About Us
Mark R. Long is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at [mark.long@wsj.com]. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team on LinkedIn: Mark R. Long , Liz Young and Paul Berger .
This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 03, 2026 07:02 ET (11:02 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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