Border brief,
Section 338 tariff list changes Oct. 30: re-screen Canadian shipments this week
A White House proclamation signed Oct. 23 drops plywood, some paper and some machinery from the 50% tariffs on Canadian goods and adds valves and carpets from Oct. 30. Stellantis-Unifor talks have not restarted.
At the border
We could not pull Monday-morning commercial waits in time for this brief. Before dispatching, check the live wait times for the Ambassador, Gordie Howe and Blue Water bridges, and the Niagara page for the Peace Bridge and Lewiston–Queenston. Today's search turned up no reported closures at those crossings or at the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge.
The bigger change for border paperwork this week is the tariff list. President Trump signed a proclamation on Friday, Oct. 23, that changes which Canadian goods face the 50% Section 338 duties, starting Oct. 30, customs broker GHY International reported.
- Coming off the list: plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment, and certain packing crates and boxes.
- Going on the list: certain valves, carpets, waste products and other goods named in the proclamation's annexes.
GHY says the duty depends on the date of entry, CBP guidance was still pending, and USMCA origin does not exempt goods. Most Section 338 tariffs stay in place, the Volokh Conspiracy at Reason noted on Oct. 25.
Analysis: brokers and shippers moving machinery, paper, valves or flooring products south over the Detroit River should check each tariff code against the new annexes before Thursday. Loads of newly exempt goods may be worth holding until Oct. 30 entry; loads of newly covered goods may be worth entering before it. Expect brokers to ask for more detailed commodity descriptions this week.
Diesel
No new federal numbers yet today. The U.S. Energy Information Administration put the Midwest diesel average at $6.352 a gallon for the week ending Oct. 19, up from $6.259 the week before, according to EIA data published by the St. Louis Fed's FRED database. EIA's next update is due this afternoon, Monday, Oct. 26.
We could not confirm this week's Ontario price or exchange rate, so check the diesel page for the Windsor comparison before deciding where to fuel. Tuesday's brief should have fresh numbers on both sides.
What we're watching
- Stellantis talks. Unifor members at Stellantis voted 97.3% for a strike mandate on Oct. 17–18, but neither side is yet in a legal strike position and no deadline has been set, Auto Service World reported Oct. 23. Unifor said on Oct. 22 that Stellantis's talks with federal officials were nearing an end and that bargaining should restart after that. Windsor Assembly production is cancelled through at least the week of Nov. 2. Analysis: auto parts volumes into Windsor stay light for now.
- Tariff lawsuit. The first legal challenge to the Section 338 tariffs, filed Oct. 20 by the Liberty Justice Center, has had no reported ruling or hearing, per Reason. Importers should keep complete entry records in case refunds are ever ordered.
Sources
Tariff list changes: GHY International and Reason / Volokh Conspiracy, Oct. 25. Stellantis talks: Auto Service World, Oct. 23 and StocksToTrade, Oct. 23. Diesel (EIA, week ending Oct. 19): FRED.