Alexandra Blake

How to Find and Verify an HS Code: A 2026 Importer How-To

A practical guide to HS code structure, how to find the right code, how to verify it with tariff schedules and binding rulings, and who is liable for errors.

FMCSA English Language Proficiency in 2026: A Carrier and Dispatcher Compliance Guide

Since June 2025, failing an English check puts a US driver out of service, and a February 2026 law made it statutory. Here is how the roadside test works, exactly what triggers an out-of-service order, the border-zone exception, and a prep checklist.

Shipping Rare-Earth and Critical-Mineral Cargo in 2026: A Compliance Playbook

How to keep controlled rare-earth and magnet shipments moving in 2026: the three Chinese control tracks, MOFCOM license lead times, the documentation pack, and the mis-declaration trap.

EUDR 2026: What Importers Actually Must Do Now

EUDR enforcement was delayed again to December 2026 and simplified in December 2025. Here is the operational read for importers on due diligence statements, geolocation data and penalties.

US Customs Bonds After De Minimis: Continuous vs Single-Entry (2026 Importer Guide)

The end of de minimis means every commercial US import now needs a customs bond — and importers who never bonded before are choosing between single-entry and continuous under deadline. What a customs bond is, the two types, 2026 costs (the $50,000 continuous-bond floor, the per-thousand single-entry charge), and how to pick the right one without overpaying or stalling freight.

Who Eats the Tariff? Incoterms DDP vs DAP in the 2026 Tariff Era

With US duties on many Chinese goods stacking past 145%, the Incoterm is no longer a shipping detail — it is the line that decides who absorbs a tariff shock. DDP puts the duty on the seller, DAP on the buyer. How to choose in a tariff environment that can move against you mid-shipment, plus the tariff-change clause that matters more than the term.

LCL Freight Consolidation 2026: When Splitting the FCL Beats Full Container

LCL or FCL? We break down the 15 CBM breakeven, hidden CFS fees, transit time costs, and why tariff volatility in 2026 is reshaping the calculation for SMB shippers.

Cargo War Risk Insurance 2026: Practical Guide for B2B Shippers

A two-front war risk crisis across Hormuz and the Red Sea, premiums that climbed to ~5% of vessel value as the strait effectively closed, P&I war cover cancelled in the Gulf, and a US $40bn backstop that never wrote a policy — this is the war risk insurance landscape B2B shippers face in 2026. A practical guide to coverage gaps, current premiums, and how to buy protection before cargo moves.