Senior Vice President, Global Government Solutions Derek Berlin was featured this week on an episode of The Briefing with Steve Scully on SiriusXM. In this episode, Derek shares insights from his travels across Ukraine over the past year, reflecting on his experiences and offering an optimistic perspective on the country’s future. The conversation is a natural follow-up to the Steve Scully interview with Logistics Plus COO Yuriy Ostapyak a few weeks ago.
You can listen to a replay of Derek’s segment on SiriusXM on the LP Radio channel link embedded below.
Also pictured below (L-R) are Steve Scully, Jim Berlin (CEO), Yuriy Ostapyak (COO), and Derek Berlin (SVP of Global Government Solutions) at the SiriusXM studio in Washington, DC. We appreciate the coverage and support from Stevey Scully, a fellow Erie, PA native.
About ‘The Briefing with Steve Scully’
“The Briefing with Steve Scully” airs on POTUS Politics — satellite channel 124 and streaming on the SiriusXM app — weekdays from 12–2 pm ET. On his show, Scully — Senior Vice President at Washington, D.C.’s Bipartisan Policy Center — takes listeners inside the stories and conversations that are shaping the day in the nation’s capital. Visit https://www.siriusxm.com/blog/the-briefing-with-steve-scully to learn more.
Trump says he will introduce 25% tariffs on autos, pharmaceuticals and chips
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he intends to impose auto tariffs “in the neighborhood of 25%” and similar duties on semiconductors and pharmaceutical imports, the latest in a series of measures threatening to upend international trade. On Friday, Trump said levies on automobiles would come as soon as April 2, the day after members of his cabinet are due to deliver reports to him outlining options for a range of import duties as he seeks to reshape global trade.
Highlights:
Trump says he will reveal more about 25% autos duty on April 2
Pharma, chip firms may face tariffs above 25%, timing uncertain
EU trade chief to meet with US officials on Wednesday
Auto industry faced tariff probe in 2018, Trump passed on duties
White House Announces Reinstatement of Steel Tariffs and Increase Aluminum Tariffs
The White House announced proclamations on steel and aluminum, reinstating tariffs under the authority of Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Effective March 12, 2025, the steel and aluminum tariff rates will be 25 percent. The proclamations address key reforms, including eliminating all alternative agreements, applying strict “melted and poured” standards, expanding tariffs to include key downstream products, terminating all generally approved exclusions, and enforcing tariff misclassification and duty evasion.
Steel
25 percent tariff will apply to steel and steel derivative products.
Exemptions are no longer available for Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the European Union, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Any exclusions will not apply.
Aluminum
Tariff rate will increase from 10 percent to 25 percent for aluminum and aluminum derivative products.
Reportedly, for any derivative aluminum article that is not in Chapter 76, the additional 25 percent tariff will apply only to the aluminum content of the derivative article.
Tariffs on aluminum derivative products will be effective once the Commerce Department reports that adequate systems are in place to fully, efficiently, and expediently process and collect tariff revenue for covered articles.
Granted product exclusions will remain in effect until their expiration date or until the excluded product volume is imported, whichever comes first.
The “Adjusting Imports of Aluminum into The United States” announcement is pending official publication at www.whitehouse.gov. The annex for steel and aluminum tariffs with additional details is expected to be published.
Andrew Silver, host of The Freight Pod podcast, talks with Jim Berlin, CEO and founder of Logistics Plus. Jim discusses the company he founded in 1996 and has built into a global logistics powerhouse in more than 50 countries, with $600M in revenue, customers like GE and WeWork, and a global HQ in Erie, Pennsylvania’s Union Station. But success didn’t come without taking risks — and learning from failures. “I dive in with both feet without checking the depth of the water.”
In this episode, Jim and Andrew cover:
The journey of how Jim built his company from a small operation managing GE’s transportation into a global logistics powerhouse.
His biggest lessons, best leadership advice, and hiring mentality at Logistics Plus, which has more than 1,200 employees.
The biggest failure of his career — launching a cargo shipping business on the Great Lakes that nearly sank his entire company.
Stories of how simple gestures, out-of-the-box thinking, and creative problem-solving have sustained his career and the growth of Logistics Plus.
About The Freight Pod
The Freight Pod is a deep dive into the journeys of the transportation and logistics industry’s brightest minds and innovators. The show is hosted by Andrew Silver, former founder and CEO of MoLo Solutions, one of the fastest-growing freight brokerages in the industry. His guests will be CEOs, founders, executives, and leaders from some of the most successful freight brokerages, trucking companies, manufacturers, and technology companies that support this great industry. Andrew will interview his guests with a focus on their life and how they got to where they are today, unlocking the key ingredients that helped them develop into the leaders they are now. He will also bring to light the fascinating stories that helped mold and shape his experiences. Learn more and follow The Freight Pod at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2250931.
President Trump on Monday announced 25% tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum to the U.S., reinstating global duties without exceptions for allies such as Canada, Mexico, Japan and South Korea that were relaxed by the Biden administration. “It’s a big deal. This is the beginning of making America rich again,” Trump said in the Oval Office, as he signed dual executive orders for steel and aluminum tariffs. “No exceptions, no nothing,” Trump added. A White House official said the tariffs would take effect March 4.
