A customs broker told us last month that one of his clients, a Doral furniture importer, saw duties on Chinese-made sofas jump from 25% to over 170% in less than a year. The containers still come through Port Miami, but the math behind each shipment has changed. If you import goods into South Florida, the 2026 tariff landscape affects your costs, your shipping timelines, and how you plan drayage.
China Tariffs: Current Rates
Chinese-origin goods entering the US face stacked tariffs from multiple trade actions. The baseline rate for most Chinese imports sits at 145% as of mid-2026, combining the original Section 301 tariffs (7.5%-25%), additional IEEPA tariffs, and reciprocal duty surcharges. Some product categories carry even higher rates when Section 301 increases layer on top.
For Miami importers, China remains a major origin for consumer electronics, furniture, textiles, auto parts, and household goods. The containers keep coming, but importers pay more per unit in duties than they did two years ago. That changes which goods are profitable to import and how much inventory importers want to hold at any given time.
Section 301 Increases by Product
On top of the baseline China tariffs, Section 301 rates went up on specific product categories starting in 2025 and continuing into 2026. These targeted increases hit goods the US government identified as strategic, including electric vehicles, batteries, solar cells, semiconductors, steel, aluminum, and medical equipment.
Miami importers bringing in any of these categories need to check their HTS classifications with a customs broker. A misclassification that looked harmless at 7.5% becomes expensive at 50% or 100%.
De Minimis Rule Changes
The de minimis threshold, Section 321, used to let packages valued under $800 enter the US duty-free. That loophole processed over a billion packages a year, many from Chinese e-commerce platforms like Temu and Shein shipping direct to US consumers.
In 2025, the administration eliminated the de minimis exemption for goods subject to Section 301 and Section 201 tariffs. That means most Chinese-origin packages, regardless of value, now owe duties. CBP collects either the applicable ad valorem tariff rate or a flat per-postal-item fee on low-value shipments.
For Miami importers, the de minimis change matters in two ways. Small sample shipments and replacement parts that used to clear customs in hours now go through formal entry processing. And e-commerce competitors who built their pricing around duty-free imports from China lost that advantage.
Reciprocal Tariffs on Other Countries
China gets the headlines, but the 2025-2026 tariff actions also hit goods from dozens of other countries. The reciprocal tariff program imposed a 10% baseline tariff on imports from most trading partners, with higher rates for specific countries.
Port Miami handles cargo from Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Containers from Colombia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and other Latin American origins now carry the 10% baseline reciprocal tariff on top of any existing duties. Some countries faced higher initial rates (the EU at 20%, Vietnam at 46%, India at 26%) before 90-day pause periods reduced them to the 10% floor.
For a Miami importer bringing cut flowers from Colombia, fresh produce from Guatemala, or auto parts from Brazil, the 10% reciprocal tariff adds cost to goods that had low or zero duty rates before. That cost either gets absorbed, passed to buyers, or offsets the margin that made the import worthwhile.
How Tariffs Affect Drayage in Miami
Tariffs don't show up on a drayage invoice, but they shape the work. Higher duties change import patterns, and those pattern shifts ripple through the trucking side of the supply chain.
Volume redistribution is the biggest effect. When tariffs on Chinese goods spiked, some importers shifted sourcing to Vietnam, India, and Mexico. Port Miami saw more containers from non-China origins in 2025 and 2026. The total volume didn't drop as much as headlines predicted, but the mix changed. Different origins mean different steamship lines, different terminal assignments, and different pickup windows for drayage trucks.
Customs holds increase when tariff rates are high. CBP scrutinizes entries more when the revenue per container is larger. A container with $200,000 in duties gets a closer look than one with $5,000. More scrutiny means more exams, more delays at the terminal, and more containers sitting on chassis while paperwork clears. Drayage companies eat detention and per diem costs when a container is stuck in customs hold.
- Importers front-load shipments before tariff deadlines. The weeks before a rate increase or pause expiration create a surge at Port Miami. More containers hit the terminal at once, gate wait times increase, and drayage trucks spend more time in queues.
- Smaller, more frequent shipments replace bulk orders. Importers uncertain about future rates order less per container. That means more container moves for the same total volume, which spreads drayage demand more evenly but reduces per-trip revenue for carriers.
- Bonded warehouse demand rises. Importers store containers in bonded facilities while waiting for tariff rate clarifications or exclusion decisions. The container moves from port to bonded warehouse instead of direct to the importer's location, adding a second drayage leg later.
What Importers Should Do Now
The tariff environment changes fast. Rates announced in January may pause in March and reinstate in June. Importers who plan around tariff stability get burned. Those who build flexibility into their supply chain handle it better.
- Talk to your customs broker before booking shipments. Verify the current duty rate for your specific HTS codes. Rates have changed multiple times in the last 12 months, and online tariff calculators lag behind CBP's actual enforcement.
- Review your HTS classifications. A product classified under one code at 10% might qualify for a different code at 2.5%. The savings at 145% base rate plus whatever the specific rate is makes proper classification worth the effort.
- Consider Foreign Trade Zones. Miami has several active FTZs where you can store, assemble, or repackage goods before formal entry. Duties apply when goods leave the FTZ for US consumption, which gives you flexibility on timing.
- Build duty costs into your drayage planning. If a container will sit in customs hold for extra days, factor detention fees into your landed cost. Budget for two-leg drayage moves (port to bonded warehouse, then warehouse to final destination) when tariff uncertainty is high.
- Diversify sourcing origins. Importers who relied on a single Chinese supplier now pay rates that make the product unprofitable. Those who established backup suppliers in Vietnam, India, or Mexico have options. The drayage cost from Port Miami stays the same regardless of origin.
Tariff policy will keep shifting through 2026 and beyond. The containers that move through Port Miami carry goods from over 100 countries, and each trade action changes the economics for a different set of importers. Your customs broker tracks the duty rates. Your drayage carrier handles the container. Between those two partners, you can plan around whatever rate shows up next.