Dive Brief:
- DHL Express recently hired 680 employees to support customs clearance and customer service needs in response to a fast-changing trade landscape, according to an a Sept. 23 announcement.
- The international express shipping division of DHL has seen China and Hong Kong-origin volume drop by about 30% year over year, while demand for exports from countries such as Mexico, India, Vietnam and Malaysia is increasing. The "significant shifts in trade lanes" resulted in the company expanding its customs team.
- “Customs clearance excellence is a differentiator in a complex and uncertain environment," said Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express U.S., in a news release. "Our investment in expertise, in customs clearance and customer education ensures we can bring comfort and certainty to our customers."
Dive Insight:
DHL Express' beefed up roster of customs specialists aims to drive an agile network as customers adjust their shipping strategies in response to U.S. tariffs and the end of the de minimis exemption. Hewitt said it will also benefit the carrier during the holiday shipping period, although DHL Express expects the 2025 peak season to be "more measured" than in previous years.
“Despite the challenges, our network remains agile, and we’re ready to flex quickly if demand surges during peak," Hewitt said.
DHL Global Forwarding, another division of the company, will ramp up its customs processing capacity by 40%. The freight forwarder currently has 500 customs experts in the U.S. and will add 200 more in the coming months, said Tim Robertson, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Americas, in a September webinar.
The additional experts are expected to help importers maintain compliance amid sourcing and distribution strategy shifts. For example, China-to-North America ocean freight volumes are down year over year while demand out of Vietnam has jumped, Robertson said.
DHL isn't the only logistics giant investing in its customs clearance capabilities. FedEx expects to face $300 million in direct trade-related expenses in fiscal year 2026, a figure that includes staffing costs tied to customs clearance, EVP and CFO John Dietrich said on a Sept. 18 earnings call.
