Freight bookings plummeted in the first week of April, with global twenty-foot-equivalent unit bookings dropping by nearly 50% since the end of the March.
According to data released by digital marketing firm Vizion, March 2025 bookings fell 20% from January peaks, even though volumes were still 30% higher year-over-year compared to 2024. The most likely explanation was that shippers moved quickly to front-load shipments ahead of anticipated tariff increases announced by the Trump administration in early April, which have prompted retaliatory measures from China.
“The result? A widespread booking freeze, as shippers paused mid-shipment cycle to reassess costs, timelines, and broader trade strategy,” Vizion explained, noting that shippers had sought to get ahead of tariffs early in the year, “and then hit the brakes as conditions changed” in the spring. Those conditions have been evident across the industry, with CNBC reporting on April 16 that freight alliance ONE had indefinitely suspended a route that was scheduled to call ports in Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Pusan, Vancouver and Tacoma in May.
Vizion also identified “sharp” declines in bookings across several categories of products, with apparel and accessories falling by 59%, wool, fabrics and textiles dropping by 57%, and art, antiques, umbrellas and feathers dipping by 50%. As the firm pointed out, these “largely discretionary or seasonal categories” are usually the first to react to shifts in cost, demand or trade policies, given that they fall under a number of tariff adjustments. With the Trump administration targeting China for the highest tariff rates of any country, several “foundational” Chinese manufacturing exports to the U.S. have decreased as well, including plastics (-45%), copper (-31%), and wood products (-24%).
