When tariffs on goods from China reached 145 percent, a cargo ship carrying tens of thousands of dollars worth of dog toys arrived in Los Angeles but was not unloaded. The toys remained on the ship as it sailed to New York City, in the hope that the tariffs would be lifted by the time it arrived. Had that plan failed, the entire cargo might have been destroyed. This was the kind of costly decision businesses have been facing during the trade war.

Behind every one of these desperate business decisions usually stands a customs broker. They're the pros who know how to navigate the maze of international trade rules. But when Trump launched his trade war, their world got turned inside out.

Their job went from filing forms and calculating duties to decoding confusing, exhaustive orders with 24 hours' notice. It also means delivering devastating news to business owners about mind-boggling new tariffs. 

In Julia Pagel's documentary, she talks to customs brokers who have been on the front lines of this evolving trade war.

Produced by Julia Pagel and Joan Webber. 

The documentary first aired on The Sunday Magazine in June of 2025.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit