Supply Chain Intelligence Brief

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TRUCKING

Q&A: Ali Faghri, Chief Strategy Officer, XPO

Logistics Management Jeff Berman November 24, 2025

LM: How do you view the current LTL pricing environment?

Faghri: Pricing remains constructive. LTL is a cost inflationary business, and customers understand that we need to invest in our people, network, equipment, and technology to deliver world-class service. The industry is also capacity constrained, with fewer terminals and doors than before the pandemic. 

Schneider National’s acquisition pipeline preps for dedicated growth

Trucking Dive Larry Avila November 24, 2025

Between 2022 and 2024, Schneider grew its dedicated segment by acquiring Midwest Logistics Systems, M&M Transport Services and Cowan Systems. Rourke said each acquisition had a specialty component, such as “lightweight equipment, relay networks or very-high touch, multi-stop retail type configuration that in a geography that’s hard to serve.”

Federal crackdown aligns with biggest trucking job drop of the year

LandLine Tyson Fisher November 24, 2025

Thousands of trucking jobs were lost in September as the federal government cracked down on non-domiciled CDLs and English-proficiency violations.

According to the latest federal government employment report, nearly 7,000 trucking jobs were eliminated in September. That marks the largest monthly job loss in more than a year. About the same number of truck driver jobs were lost in May 2024.

DOT Targets Pennsylvania for Non-Domiciled CDLs

Heavy Duty Trucking Deborah Lockridge November 24, 2025

What is a Non-Domiciled CDL and Why Are They a Problem?

A non-domiciled CDL is issued to someone who is legally allowed to work in the U.S. but doesn’t permanently live in the state issuing the license — often foreign nationals working under temporary U.S. work authorization.

Texas Immigration Sting Pulls 31 CDL Holders Off the Road

Transport Topics Noël Fletcher November 24, 2025

A joint operation between federal and state law enforcement along Interstate 40 in Texas resulted in 31 commercial drivers being taken off the road for lacking lawful residency in the United States.

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

Walmart Now Delivering 35% of Digital Orders in Under Three Hours

Supply Chain 24/7 November 24, 2025

Walmart says its store network gives it an edge. Thousands of locations double as mini-fulfillment hubs, keeping inventory close to customers and cutting travel time. The company also said more than half of its e-commerce fulfillment volume is now automated, helping lower shipping costs while improving speed.

Texas manufacturing activity accelerates, though employment remains flat

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas November 24, 2025

Texas factory activity expanded at a markedly faster pace in November, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, rose 15 points to 20.5, indicating a notable pickup in output growth.

What Home Depot’s new AI takeoffs tool signals for its B2B ecommerce strategy

Digital Commerce 360 Abbas Haleem November 24, 2025

The Blueprint Takeoffs tool allows Home Depot Pros to use AI to generate complete material lists and quotes within days. It enables Home Depot to insert itself at a stage of the project cycle historically owned by builders’ merchants, specialty distributors and dedicated estimating services.

INDUSTRY

A ‘jobs apocalypse’: panel at Trimble eyes AI’s future in logistics

Freight Waves John Kingston November 24, 2025

After discussing various approaches and philosophies companies should pursue in deciding how to implement AI in the operations of their various transportation companies, the question on everybody’s minds emerged: what is this going to mean for employment?

Jonah McIntire, chief product and technology officer at Trimble who came to Trimble through its acquisition of Transporeon, pulled no punches in his response.

“I think it’s going to be a jobs apocalypse,” McIntire said.

Port Volumes Slow Nearing End of Strong Year

Transport Topics Connor D. Wolf  November 24, 2025

“With six weeks to go, we are within reach of the 10 million-container unit-mark for the year,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said at a media briefing. “If we reach that milestone, it would be the third time in our history and something no other Western Hemisphere port has achieved even once.

Domestic intermodal holds key to future growth as trade uncertainty and long-term declines persist, says intermodal expert Larry Gross

Logistics Management Jeff Berman November 24, 2025

“The headline now is that we are seeing a precipitous drop in international volume now as a result of the [tariff-driven] pull-forward that occurred earlier in the year,” he said. “But on the other hand, domestic is looking a little bit better.

Union Pacific CEO: America needs coast-to-coast railroad, now

Freight Waves Stuart Chirls November 24, 2025

“There’s no way that the United States of America should be the one country in North America that does not have a railroad that goes from one end to the other seamlessly,” Vena said while accepting an industry award at the RailTrends conference on Friday.

TECHNOLOGY

Robots and AI Are Already Remaking the Chinese Economy

The Wall Street Journal Brian Spegele November 24, 2025 $Subscription Based

To blunt Trump’s push to reclaim global manufacturing, China’s factories and ports are learning to make and export more goods faster, cheaper and with fewer workers.

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

A Lifeline for Nikola Truck Owners, Fuel Cell Technology?

Transport Topics Keiron Greenhalgh November 24, 2025

The story of hydrogen fuel cell electric rigs in the U.S. in 2025 is largely a benighted one, but a small group of equipment, fuel and truck suppliers are set to advance what they hope will be a sunnier latest chapter.

New Coalition Pushes for Federal Rules on Autonomous Vehicles

Supply Chain 24/7 November 24, 2025

As of now, 26 states authorize Level 4 or Level 5 autonomous driving systems, but policies and requirements differ widely. Only the federal government, the coalition argues, can regulate vehicle design, performance, and safety at a national level. That consistency, they say, is critical to scaling AV adoption across commercial transportation and logistics networks.

Crime Rings Enlist Hackers to Hijack Trucks

The Wall Street Journal Paul Berger and Angus Loten November 25, 2025 $Subscription Based

Add hackers to the growing list of criminals driving a postpandemic surge in cargo theft.

Cybercriminals, armed with remote-management and malware tools, are using online freight marketplaces to infiltrate logistics company computer systems to identify and steal high-value cargo.

‘Don’t trust, always verify’ is the expert advice when carriers onboard new products

CCJ Angel Coker Jones November 24, 2025

Trucking companies are on the receiving end of products like ELDs, telematics, dash cameras, and more. These product vendors come with their own hardware and software, widening the attack surface for the trucking companies that use them.

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