The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global crisis that has affected every aspect of daily life. Not only has it taken a devastating toll on our personal lives, but it has had a dramatic impact on businesses and the economy. Even as things are slowly beginning to improve, new challenges continue to make it difficult for businesses to plan and move forward with predictability and confidence. Unexpected events, like the severe winter storms in Texas and the stranding of a giant cargo ship in the Suez Canal, have led to major disruptions in the supply chain. As this affects the flow of raw materials and finished goods, it is leading to shortages of both – here in the U.S. and around the world.

In early March, President Trump announced he would invoke a legal provision that allows him to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum. Since then, a series of changing policy decisions has led to uncertainty about if and when the proposed tariffs will be implemented, and how they might impact the U.S. and countries around the world.

At Traffic Safety Direct, we are monitoring this situation closely as it has the potential to impact a variety of our core product lines. Corrosion-resistant steel is used for essentials like our wide selection of u-channel, round and square sign posts.