Tariffs Drained This Small Business. Refunds Could Help It Recover.

For Speedway Shelters in Sequel, California, the impact of tariffs has been immediate and severe. The company has spent more than 18 years manufacturing motorcycle shelters, building a niche product and a loyal customer base over nearly two decades. But the sudden rise in tariffs dramatically increased the cost of bringing their products into the United States — threatening the financial stability of the business.

“Speedway Shelters has been making motorcycle shelters for over 18 years,” the owner explains. “We were importing products at $40,000 per container, which went up to $70,000 per container.”

For a small company, that kind of jump in costs can erase margins overnight.

The business has paid $35,000 in additional tariffs since April 2025, a sum that represents nearly all of the profit a company of its size can reasonably expect to make. The owner explains, “these tariffs have crippled our business, leaving us just below break-even, even after slashing costs.”

The owner says they would like to shift production closer to home — something tariffs are often intended to encourage — but the financial strain created by the tariffs themselves makes that transition harder, not easier. Instead of providing the resources needed to invest in new production, the tariffs have drained them.

For Speedway Shelters, the refunds now owed following the court decisions striking down the IEEPA tariffs could make a meaningful difference. The owner states, “these funds would be a lifeline from money that I view as stolen.”

Across the country, small businesses are now urging policymakers to ensure those refunds are delivered quickly and automatically. Businesses should not have to hire lawyers, file complex claims, or wait years to recover duties that courts have already ruled were unlawful.

If your business paid IEEPA tariffs, join the growing coalition calling for refunds. Sign the letter to Congress and the Administration demanding full, fast, and automatic repayment so that the small businesses who paid these unlawful tariffs can finally get their money back.