No matter if they’re importing or exporting, FTAs are important tools that help US shippers maintain competitiveness in today’s marketplace by reducing trade barriers.
During BDP’s Supply Chain Summit in Houston, TX, at the end of 2017, we polled the audience members - all shippers - for their perspectives on the US’s current outlook with FTAs. The results revealed an overwhelming majority (83%) believed that the US needed to be aggressive in their approach to new FTAs. This view was backed up by their opinions of NAFTA: (90%) believed that the agreement was outdated. But opinions were more divided over benefits of Free Trade Agreements. 46% believed that they kept US manufacturing costs down, although over a third thought that this wasn’t the case. Two thirds of those surveyed also thought that the Government should do a better job of enforcement outside of the US (reported from Transport Intelligence).
