The Importance of the Trucking Industry

A white truck running on the street in the morning.

The trucking industry is a very important one, in fact, many would argue that it is the most important one in the United States. Everything you’ve ever owned has probably seen the inside of a semi-truck at some point. We’ve all seen them on the road and while we might sometimes get annoyed with them, we must remember that our society would crumble without them. These huge vehicles are responsible for your food, your medicine, your clothes, and just about everything else you have ever touched besides the soil on the ground outside. In fact, a giant truck might have transported that too, you can never tell these days. 

 

Employment

 

Next time you decide to honk at a truck driver for going just a little too slow, think about the person inside that truck. They are doing a job that is very difficult and very vital to our society. Truck drivers typically work very long hours, spending hours and sometimes days on the road. They are pulling massive loads and can’t even see behind them for the most part. Truck drivers also have to spend days and weeks away from their families, which can be really difficult for any person to do. Truck driving is definitely an important but rather thankless job. 

 

There are over 800,000 truck drivers working in the united states today and they account for $30 billion dollars each year. That is a lot of money being out into our economy that we can’t afford to lose. Without the trucking industry, we wouldn’t really be able to buy anything because there wouldn’t be anything to buy. The trucking industry supports consumers and business by transporting products all over the country to be purchased by everyone. Truck driving jobs are very hard, and not many people really want to do it, so we need to appreciate the people that do. 

 

Being in the trucking business can get lonely and there are many days where drivers are on the road for more than 14 hours a day. They spend several days all alone in their trucks. Driving a truck is most certainly a living, but it also probably will not make anyone rich. 

The Economy

 

Our economy is never an easy thing to talk about. It’s a lot of numbers that account for the lives of a lot of people, but right now we only need to discuss how the trucking industry affects the economy. Not to be dramatic, but we essentially would not have an economy. With a country as huge as the United States, we need trucks to travel all around it in order to make sure that everyone can get what they need. 

 

Trucks transport pretty much everything that we could ever need. Think about it. Most of our country is not surrounded by water, so we can’t use boats for everything, and flying everything to where they need to go is far too impractical and expensive. Truck driving is our only option. 

 

Our economy relies on consumers buying goods and services. Our economy does not work if consumers cannot find goods to buy. The trucking industry is pretty much responsible for everything that we buy. Even if your items didn’t get there in a semi-truck, it is likely that they were shipped as raw materials in a truck to a factory where they then got assembled into the item that you ended up buying. 

 

A Little History

 

Before our country had the trucking industry, we had trains and pack animals. In order to get all of our goods across the country, they would be shipped in trains and would be transported locally with wagons and pack animals. The transportation industry changed forever when the internal combustion engine was invented in the middle 19th century. A short time later, a man by the name of Alexander Winton invented the first-ever semi-truck in 1898 and sold the first manufactured one in 1899. By 1914, there were approximately 25,000 semi-trucks in the United States driving around and delivering goods across the country. As the country started building cultures around motor vehicles and started building suburbs and highways in the 1940s and 1950s, the trucking industry only had more reasons to get even bigger. 

 

If you are in the trucking and transporting business, Cordova Brokerage has your back. We can provide you with cross-docking and warehousing if you would ever need them. Get your goods and services to your customers in a way that is quick and efficient. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, comments, and concerns. 

How to Get Your Start in U.S Customs Brokerage

An aspiring customs broker finds out that he passed the customs exam

For most of the U.S population, customs brokerage is not a major talking point. In fact, customs brokerage is an industry that drives a nation but works in the background, like how the electrical wiring in your home is hidden but essential. For the few that think about brokerage, it can be a complex, exciting, and fulfilling job that opens up new ideas and perspectives. If you’re one of those people that find brokerage fascinating, we’ll take you through what you need to break into the customs brokerage industry.

Basic Requirements

According to U.S Customs and Border Protection, you’ll need to meet three eligibility requirements before you can become a customs broker. The three requirements include:

  • Be a U.S citizen 21 years of age or over
  • Not be a current federal employee
  • Possess good moral character

So if you’re old enough for a Bud Light, don’t work for the government, and aren’t a member of the mafia, you’re probably eligible to be a broker. Some companies prefer a bachelor’s degree, but it’s not required. This just covers eligibility; actually becoming a customs broker involves a few more steps.

Becoming A Certified Customs Broker

If you’re eligible, then the next step is to pass the Customs Broker License Exam. Before you freak out about the test, it’s an open book exam, so you needn’t stress about memorizing everything you’ll need to know. As far as what the test will go over, you can expect to see these topics:

  • The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS)
  • Title 19, Code of Federal Regulations
  • Specified Customs Directives
  • Customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements document (CATAIR)

These are the basics for a customs broker, so make sure to internalize all of this information. The test is four and a half hours long, and there is a $390 fee that needs to be paid a month in advance. If you receive a 75 percent or higher on the exam, congrats! You can move on to the next step, which is getting your customs broker license. Get ready to shell out another $200 for that, and to wait a while for background checks. Credit reports, arrest records, character references will all need to be reviewed before you are cleared. In the meantime, learn as much as you can about being a customs broker.

If you have any questions about customs brokerage or want to join our team, Cordova Brokerage can help. Contact us today for more information!

The Current Trade Numbers and Why You Might Need a Freight Forwarder

If you’re in the trading business— or produce any kind of exportable good— you know that every day the United States takes in and ships out a good variety of goods to and from all over the globe. The international market is a busy network of people exchanging goods across borders and oceans. So if you are a producer or own a company that wants to ship goods or merchandise overseas, you are likely wondering whether a freight forwarder is an option for you. So how exactly do we help?

 

A freight forwarder actually has a lot of responsibilities and provides a variety of different services. We act mostly as an intermediary between the shipper and the transportation services. Yet, we are at the forefront of any shipping of merchandise outside of the country’s borders. Some of the typical functions we perform include preparation of documents for exporting or importing, warehousing, negotiating freight charges, freight consolidation, and relevant insurance claims. 

 

Current Trade Numbers and Information

 

In 2018, according to The Balance, the total U.S trade with foreign countries reached $5.6 trillion. Out of that total were $2.5 trillion in exports and $3.1 trillion in imports. That’s a lot of trade happening between the United States and the rest of the world. The U.S is the world’s third largest exporter. This means that the U.S is producing a lot of goods and sending them overseas, but sending goods across countries is not that simple. There are a lot of regulations and charges in place that must be taken into consideration. There are a lot of logistical questions as well —when it comes to shipping—that need to be factored in, particularly when you’re talking about large freight or a high quantity of goods. 

 

U.S exports are composed largely of capital goods, which include things like commercial aircraft, industrial machines, telecommunications, electrical apparatus, and medical equipment. Then there are industrial supplies, which include chemicals, petroleum products, and more. Finally, the other category of goods exported by the U.S are consumer goods, which can include smaller consumer products like cell phones, gem diamonds, and etc. 

 

Choose a Trusted Freight Forwarder

 

A lot of what we do depends on relationships that we’ve established with shippers over time and how we have established ourselves as a trustworthy and competent partner. You want your goods to be handled with care. Call Cordova Brokerage today for all your shipping needs.