The days of six-figure incomes for freight truck drivers are becoming a thing of the past, as U.S. tariff policy sends shockwaves through the trucking industry.
Following steep reciprocal tariffs implemented by the Trump administration, trucking companies and drivers are facing declining business. Some Korean American-owned small trucking firms have shut down due to falling orders and price wars, leaving drivers scrambling to find alternative employment.
Taeseok Yoo (53), who worked as a truck driver for a trucking company in the Seattle area, recently lost his job when the company closed last week.
“There was no work coming in for weeks, and we were just waiting around,” said Yoo. “We knew things were bad, but then it happened. Around 100 drivers and administrative staff lost their jobs overnight.”
Container traffic at major ports like Los Angeles and Seattle has dropped noticeably since the announcement of new tariffs. As freight volume declines, trucking companies are entering survival mode—and drivers are seeing their income drop sharply.
Ted Kim, head of CNJ Trucking in Gardena, explained, “Truckers used to work around 48 hours a week. But since the tariffs hit and shipments from China dropped, that’s down to about 35 hours per week now.”
He added that drivers who once made $10,000 a month are now earning around $5,000.
Kim also said his company had to cut staff from 10 employees to just 3.
According to sources in the Korean American logistics sector, the uncertainty surrounding tariff policy has worsened instability for trucking firms responsible for moving freight.
A representative from Hyundai Shipping USA noted, “Trucking companies serve as the backbone of logistics. With tariffs constantly shifting, orders have fallen, and some Korean American firms are slashing prices by as much as 30–40% to compete.”
“The price war is unsustainable, and many small businesses can’t hold on,” the representative added.
There is hope that if the tariff policy stabilizes, freight volume may recover. But only firms that survive the current conditions are likely to benefit.
Some trucking companies in survival mode are expanding into other services such as moving households.
Justin Jin, CEO of Moving24, said, “There are barely any inquiry calls right now because of the unclear tariff situation. We can’t just let our trucks sit idle, so we’re handling both moving and freight logistics.”
“But with labor and cost of living so high, it’s hard to cut prices,” he added.
According to the Washington Post, as of May, container traffic at the Port of Los Angeles had dropped by one-third compared to the same time last year.
The paper noted that in regions like Los Angeles and Orange County, one out of every nine residents works in trucking, freight brokerage, or warehousing.
The Los Angeles Times previously cited expert analysis that even a 1% drop in freight volume at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports could threaten 2,700 to 4,000 local jobs.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
