RL Jones partners with Amberd.ai on tariff refunds

RL Jones has partnered with Amberd.ai to deploy an artificial intelligence platform for IEEPA tariff refund work. The system handles refund-related data across the customs broker's cross-border operations.

The San Diego-based customs brokerage said the platform is designed to replace manual spreadsheet work and repeated data downloads from US Customs and Border Protection, or CBP. It combines CBP files, entry records and customer documents so staff can track refund eligibility and filing deadlines as shipments move across the border.

IEEPA tariff refunds have created a data-heavy workload for customs brokers and logistics groups, which must reconcile multiple records under tight deadlines. At RL Jones, that meant continuous checks of tariff exposure, customer payments and shipment activity, with the risk that missed or delayed filings could leave refund money unclaimed.

The new system gives teams direct access to tariff exposure, refund deadlines and shipment movements through a single interface. Amberd.ai said the platform returns sourced answers drawn from operational and customs data in a private environment.

Manual burden

The arrangement reflects broader strain on logistics operators as border disruption, tariff volatility and regulatory change increase the volume and pace of customs decisions. Companies still relying on fragmented downloads and spreadsheet-based processes face growing pressure to respond quickly when refund rules or shipment patterns change.

RL Jones is also using the platform for broader operational analysis beyond refunds. According to the companies, it can identify which parties paid specific tariffs, group customers by tariff exposure, monitor eManifest volumes, estimate market share percentages, and analyse shipment timing and shipper usage.

It is also intended to help staff stay on top of due dates and detect cycle-time or border-release issues that can delay customer shipments. That extends the software into day-to-day customs and freight workflows as well as refund administration.

RL Jones supports import and export operations, cross-border freight, transportation, warehousing and customs compliance across the US-Mexico border. Its location in San Diego places it on one of North America's busiest trade corridors, where customs processing and border timing can have immediate effects on cargo movement.

Private data

Data privacy was part of the rationale for the rollout, particularly given the sensitivity of customs filings and customer records. The companies said the system keeps information out of public artificial intelligence tools while allowing staff to query internal records.

"Partnering with Amberd.ai has fundamentally transformed how we operate. What once required hours of manual data downloads from CBP and error-prone refund calculations now happens in seconds. Just as importantly, Amberd.ai ensures our customers' sensitive data stays completely private, never reaching public AI systems like ChatGPT. At RL Jones, we're proud to be pioneering the use of AI in customs brokerage, and Amberd.ai is exactly the kind of innovative partner making that possible," said Eduardo "Lalo" Acosta, Vice President, RL Jones Group.

Amberd.ai is based in Los Angeles and was founded by Zaré Baghdasarian and Mazda Marvasti. The company describes its software as a private platform for organisations that need to combine structured and unstructured data for operational decision-making.

For logistics providers, customs brokers and trade specialists, that pitch is increasingly tied to a practical problem rather than a broad technology agenda: how to find, reconcile and act on large volumes of trade data before deadlines pass. Tariff-related refund work is one example, but the same challenge extends to shipment visibility, border delays, customer exposure and compliance monitoring.

Marvasti said the logistics sector is under pressure to move away from slower methods as trade routes and regulations change more often. "The transportation and logistics industry is at a tipping point, where manual ways of working can no longer keep up with technology‐driven models or frequent disruptions in trade routes and regulations," said Mazda Marvasti, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Amberd.

"With RL Jones, we're showing how AI can turn complex trade and customs data into fast, decision-ready answers. This helps navigate the tariff refund challenge and streamline day-to-day cross-border operations in an increasingly complex, data-rich environment. Smart companies like RL Jones are putting in place an AI infrastructure that will drive automation and create competitive advantage as logistics becomes more software-driven and always on," he said.