Almost all of the Vehicle Video Camera solutions I am aware of are manufactured in China.

The few not manufactured in China are made in Japan, South Korea, Israel, and a few other non-China-based nations. Those solutions have been offered in the past by our company. Still, it was determined that the cost differential between China-based and non-China-based manufacturers made them uncompetitive, as companies and governmental agencies generally strive for the lowest-cost mobile video solutions, which leaves them with a single source. China.

The current tariff on China-sourced products at the time of this writing is 30%.
This includes all nations' 10% tariff on products sold in the USA.
This also includes the punitive 20% Fentanyl tariff.

The following is a brief overview highlighting the numerous drastic changes in China tariffs that have occurred over the last few months.
Keep in mind for all companies who are marketing China based products, including Industrial Truck Forklift Material Handling camera systems that help provide OSHAs frequent most dangerous employee occupation, School Bus Contractor Charter Bus Camera systems, and the widespread application of the Paratransit Elderly Medicaid Vehicle Camera systems, this means we do not know what the actual US Customs fees will be when we are ordering the products, and in many cases once the products were ordered and paid for the then changed tariff was higher than the cost of the actual product. Those purchasing products now had ot pay more than 2 times the cost of the product to get them past Customs, as tariffs on products are all paid by the USA-based buyers. China does not pay the tariff fee; Americans do.



Regarding Tariff Charges, China does not pay the tariff fee; Americans do.
There seems to be a disconnect or total lack of education in basic economics when the plurality of Americans somehow believe China is paying the high tariff fees.
The reality is that Americans ultimately bear the full cost of the China tariffs. The goal of the Trump administration's use of tariffs is to charge the world for access to the American markets and strongly encourage onshoring of production. Meaning, bring back those production industries to the USA.
As of this time, all China-imported products purchased from now on will incur a cost at least 30% higher for the company importing them.
Common sense dictates that if the buyer has to pay 30% more for the same product, they will increase their cost to the American consumer by the same margin or more. This is why prices are increasing rapidly at the big chain warehouse non-food stores that primarily sell China-made products.

In the last month, we have had many complaints about the tariff charge we insert as a line item on our quotes, as they falsely believe China pays that, not American purchasers.
It is humbling to have to explain how tariffs work to administrators, purchasing agents, and Transportation Directors of municipal government agencies and County districts. These are all college graduates who know little to nothing about how the import/export markets in general, tariffs in specific, and US Customs work.

Several Special Needs School Bus Camera purchasers have stated they believe we should exclude the tariff from their purchase, as they are a municipal government entity.
After assuring them I would contact US Customs site for waivers and exemptions, I found none for their application. The fact that it is a government-mandated tariff on all Chinese products means the government wants them to pay a higher cost for the products, to encourage the onshoring of production strongly.
Another purchaser of a 5th Wheel King Pin Warehouse Trailer Swapper Spotter Yard Mule Camera system argued that the Tariff was in a 90-day pause and that the tariff should be eliminated from the quote. Again, I informed him that the tariff 90 day pause was related to the new 125% tariff that was suggested by the administration to bring the China tariff up to 145%. That is the tariff that was paused for 90 days, so if they purchase now, it is 30% with ABV absorbing 1/2 of the tariff and only charging thm 15%. By waiting to purchase the Terminal Tractor Shunt Truck 5th Wheel Yard Mule Trailer Swapper Camera system, they could end up paying 145% tariff, depending on what happens after the 90-day pause.
This is a situation I have never experienced in almost 40 years of business in these markets. Resellers and OEMs are terrified of purchasing now, when the tariff could go to 10% or to “0” in the future, and even more terrified that after the pause of 90 days, it could rocket to 145%. I have never witnessed that level of pricing uncertainty in my lifetime. There are many



A timeline of the US-China tariff and trade spat since President Trump took office this year
By DIDI TANG For The Associated Press
https://apnews.com/article/tariff-china-united-states-timeline-b9ade8491a16f68282ad655395c602bc

The following excerpts are from Didi Tangs AP article:

“Feb. 4, 2025
New 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports to the U.S. come into effect. The levies are meant to pressure Beijing to do more to stop the illegal flow of synthetic opioids…

March 4, 2025
Additional 10% tariffs on all Chinese goods will go into effect, also related to opioid trafficking…

April 2, 2025
On Trump’s so-called tariff “Liberation Day,” he announces additional 34% duties on all Chinese imports, alongside tariffs on goods from countries around the world…

April 7, 2025
In response to China’s 34% tariff, Trump announces an additional 50% tariff on China…

April 10, 2025
The White House administration clarifies that the tariff on Chinese goods would be 145%. That includes the 20% duty Trump has put on China for its role in the production of fentanyl….

May 12, 2025
Following a two-day trade talk in Geneva, the United States and China agree to slash their massive recent tariffs. The U.S. drops the 145% tariff to 30%. China agrees to lower its tariff rate on U.S. goods to 10%…

June 11, 2025
Following a two-day talk in London by senior American and Chinese officials, Trump says the U.S. will get a “total of 55% tariffs”, and China is getting 10%. Trump also says China will be supplying rare earths to China, and the U.S. will welcome Chinese students to American colleges and universities…”




Should the June 11th outcome come to fruition, then the cost of every product from China will increase by at least 55% for Americans, as importers of those products will have to pay 55% more for them when selling to American purchasers to maintain the same margins.
This will affect all China-imported Commercial Grade School Bus Cameras, as well as the much higher technology and quality Industrial Grade Transit Bus Camera systems preferred by federal agencies, which can integrate many AI enhancements, including driver distraction or drowsiness detection, and limited facial recognition due to the extremely high image resolution.

The cost of mobile vehicle camera solutions is now expected to increase drastically.

Last week, 2 Private Service Contractor Charter Bus Camera System customers refused to pay the tariff because they were never taught basic economics in school and simply are not aware that Americans pay all Chinese tariffs.

The reality that China does not pay any of the tariffs imposed by the US government on Chinese imports eludes them, and they mistakenly believe the vendor offering the exact mobile camera solutions at a now much higher cost is somehow cheating them.


Should you have any questions or concerns or require more information about Testudo Lifetime System Warranty School Bus Camera Systems, various applications or School Bus Student Transportation Video Camera Recorder configurations, please let us know. We will be happy to offer our 35+ years of market experience in sales and service of digital recording devices to respond to your concerns or questions.