Author: Stu Spikerman

De Minimis OID: What Every Business Should Know About Compliance and Trade

What is De Minimis OID? When I first started in logistics and trade compliance more than three decades ago, I quickly realized that one of the most confusing areas for businesses is how tax rules and bond discount regulations tie back into supply chain management. De minimis OID—short for de minimis original issue discount—is one […]

De Minimis Update: What Importers, Exporters, and FTZ Operators Need to Know

What Does “De Minimis Update” Mean? The term “de minimis” comes from Latin, meaning “about small things.” In trade, it referred to a threshold that allowed shipments under $800 in value to enter the U.S. without duties or tariffs. For years, this exemption supported a booming e-commerce model that allowed companies like Shein, Temu, and […]

Understanding De Minimis OSHA Violations: What They Mean for Workplace Safety and Compliance

What Does “De Minimis OSHA” Mean? When OSHA talks about de minimis, they mean that the employer has followed the intent of the standard but deviated slightly from its letter. Imagine a ladder rung spacing being 13 inches instead of OSHA’s specified 12. No one’s safety is truly at risk, but technically it’s not within […]

Understanding the De Minimis Limit in Global Trade: What Importers and Businesses Need to Know

What is the De Minimis Limit? The de minimis limit might sound like a complicated trade term, but it’s actually straightforward once you strip away the legal jargon. At its core, it’s the value threshold that determines whether a shipment entering a country can bypass duties, taxes, and lengthy customs procedures. The word “de minimis” […]

Air Transportation Logistics: How Speed, Precision, and Strategy Drive Global Freight

What is Air Transportation Logistics? Air transportation logistics is the process of planning, managing, and executing the shipment of goods through air freight. It includes everything from booking the flight to preparing documents, coordinating with customs, and tracking packages in real time. In my three and a half decades of running Tri-Link FTZ, I’ve seen […]

Understanding the De Minimis Doctrine: A Guide for Businesses

What Is the De Minimis Doctrine? The de minimis doctrine is a simple idea with powerful implications: the law does not concern itself with trivial things. In Latin, the phrase is “de minimis non curat lex,” and throughout my career in logistics, I’ve watched this principle shape trade policies, court cases, and compliance strategies. At […]

Understanding the De Minimis Policy and Its Global Trade Impact

Defining the De Minimis Policy When we talk about the de minimis policy, we are describing a trade exemption that allowed low-value goods to enter the United States without duties or tariffs. “De minimis” literally means “of little importance” in Latin, and for nearly a century it meant that small shipments could move quickly through […]

Understanding De Minimis Conditions in Global Trade

Defining De Minimis Conditions When we talk about de minimis conditions, we’re really talking about the rules that define how small-value imports are handled in global trade. The Latin phrase “de minimis” means something too minor to merit consideration, and in trade it refers to shipments under a certain value that can bypass duties, taxes, […]

Top Supply Chain Optimization Strategies to Boost Efficiency in 2025

What Is Supply Chain Optimization? Supply chain optimization is the process of improving the way products move from suppliers to customers. This means finding smarter ways to manage everything—from ordering materials to delivering final products.  At Tri-Link FTZ, where we’ve been optimizing supply chains for more than three decades, we’ve seen how small changes can […]

How Amazon’s Supply Chain Optimization Technologies Are Shaping the Future of Logistics

What Are Supply Chain Optimization Technologies Amazon Uses? When we talk about supply chain optimization technologies Amazon relies on, we’re referring to a mix of powerful digital tools designed to move products smarter, faster, and cheaper. These tools include machine learning models, real-time data systems, robotics in warehouses, IoT sensors for inventory tracking, and even […]