After the Supreme Court struck down certain higher import taxes, importers have started receiving refunds — and the numbers are large. According to the Associated Press, Customs and Border Protection said $85 billion in refund applications had been accepted, with $20.6 billion already directed for refunds.
That's a meaningful amount of cash flowing back to the companies that move goods into the country. When importing gets cheaper and importers get capital back, it tends to influence behavior — order volumes, inventory decisions, and ultimately the freight that follows containers off the docks and onto trucks.
For carriers and brokers, this is a macro tailwind to watch rather than something that changes your week. But the through-line from trade policy to your load board is real: tariffs shape import volumes, import volumes shape port activity, and port activity shapes drayage and the inland lanes that depend on it. When $85 billion changes direction, it's worth knowing which way the freight is likely to move.