“I Voted for Trump” — Now My Industry’s Down 23% and Collapsing Fast: Freight CEO’s Heartbreaking Realization

Craig Fuller thought he was voting for business savvy, not economic shock therapy. But just 100 days into Donald Trump’s second term, the founder of Chattanooga-based freight analytics firm FreightWaves says the administration’s aggressive tariff policies are slamming the industry he helped build—and fast.

“I did not vote for a neutron bomb to wipe out supply chains and small businesses,” Fuller wrote in an April 20 social media post. A longtime Trump supporter and even a rumored contender for transportation secretary, Fuller is now sounding the alarm about the damage he says is being done by what he calls “economic whiplash.”

In his view, the 145% tariffs on Chinese goods are functionally an embargo, and they’ve been rolled out so suddenly that U.S. companies haven’t had time to adapt. “It’s too much too fast,” Fuller told reporters in a phone interview. “The economy can’t absorb it.”

Fuller’s concerns reflect a growing unease in the freight sector. Traditionally, spring marks an uptick in shipping volume. But this year, he says, demand is softening—and fast. Truck traffic out of Los Angeles, the country’s largest port, is already down 23% compared to the same period last year. While not all of that is due to tariffs, Fuller sees it as an early warning sign.

“It works like a virus,” he said. “It starts in Southern California and spreads across the country. If you can’t move freight out of L.A., you’re not going to be filling trucks to places like Chicago, Dallas, or Kansas City either.”

Freight imports through Southern California ports could be slashed by as much as 50% this year, he predicts. And that means layoffs across the supply chain are likely coming by June.

The contrast with Trump’s first term couldn’t be starker. Back then, tariffs were targeted—focused on products like steel and washing machines—and rolled out slowly enough for companies to adjust. This time, the administration declared “Liberation Day” on April 2 and launched sweeping tariffs on nearly all major trading partners.

The White House argues the tariffs are a necessary step to “reindustrialize America.” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that Trump is focused on building “jobs of the future.” And Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed that sentiment, saying the long-term vision involves modernizing the economy—even if that means short-term pain.

At a Michigan rally, one supporter framed it as a patriotic sacrifice. “If we have to eat more in the beginning with higher prices, that might just be part of it,” said Carolyn Martz, whose husband works in auto repair.

Trump himself compared the policy to tough medicine. “Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something,” he said aboard Air Force One, adding that the result would be a “wealthy America like never before.”

But for now, the economic side effects are piling up. Companies are slashing orders, supply chains are freezing, and key sectors are idling. Many manufacturers had stockpiled inventory ahead of the tariffs, but experts say those buffers are already thinning out.

Howard Wall, an economist at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said what’s most alarming is the uncertainty. “Anyone who says they know what’s going on is either wrong or lying to you,” he said. “There’s no clear rationale. And it’s being executed in a way that’s chaotic.”

Even major logistics firms are feeling the heat. Knight-Swift Transportation, which acquired U.S. Xpress for $800 million in 2023, pointed to “toxic tariffs” and inconsistent trade policies as major reasons for decreased shipping volumes. CEO Adam Miller said customers are either pulling back or sitting on existing inventory in hopes the chaos will settle.

Some in the White House are now considering carve-outs or targeted relief, particularly in the auto sector. But for industry leaders like Fuller, the damage may already be done. The vision he had for a second Trump term—one of growth, onshoring, and smart policy—is quickly unraveling.

“This isn’t what we signed up for,” he said. “It’s not just a mistake. It’s a catastrophe.”