Supply Chain Intelligence Brief

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TRUCKING

October freight shipments plunge, Cass data shows

Freight Waves Todd Maiden November 13, 2025

Freight shipments fell sharply in October but higher rates kept total freight spend in check, according to a monthly report from Cass Information Systems.

Cass Transportation Index Report October 2025

Cass Information Systems November 13, 2025

Shipments: In recent months, the declines have been concentrated in LTL, as ongoing LTL rate increases in a soft market cause more shippers to consolidate LTL loads into TLs, in addition to the insourcing going on at a pair of mega-shippers.

Show me the money: Drivers report falling pay, shrinking miles and pay disputes with carriers

CCJ Jason Cannon November 13, 2025

The number of drivers logging long-haul mileage last year cratered, according to CCJ’s 2025 What Drivers Want report, a survey of company drivers and leased owner-operators conducted in partnership with Netradyne.

Battle over non-domiciled CDLs deepens in California

Journal of Commerce William B. Cassidy November 13, 2025 $Subscription Based

The battle over the legality of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) is becoming even more intense, with California revoking 17,000 CDLs and a US court putting a stay on the new Department of Transportation (DOT) rule on non-domiciled licensing.

Related: Associated Press California to Revoke 17,000 CDLs for Immigrants

UPS needs a win-win-win strategy for B2C delivery

Freight Waves Satish Jindel November 13, 2025

To stop losing market share and achieve sustained profitability, UPS should incorporate the best features of the Teamster operation combined with the use of lower cost last-mile delivery agents using personal vehicles, a delivery model it is familiar with after acquiring Roadie in 2021. Roadie specializes in delivering from neighborhood stores to nearby consumers.

Appeals Court Revives Yellow’s Suit Against Teamsters

Transport Topics Keiron Greenhalgh November 13, 2025

The case began when Yellow sued the union in the weeks leading up to the then-No. 3-ranked less-than-truckload carrier’s bankruptcy filing in August 2023. The Teamsters had balked at the second phase of a proposed terminal network restructuring.

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

Uber Freight pushes deeper into last-mile freight market

Journal of Commerce William B. Cassidy November 13, 2025 $Subscription Based

Urgent shipper need for lower costs is creating opportunities in the last-mile logistics market that Uber Freight hopes to seize. The logistics company on Thursday said it is partnering with delivery platform Better Trucks to expand its last-mile capabilities.

Uber Freight enters last mile through Better Trucks partnership

Freight Waves Noi Mahoney November 13, 2025

The investment expands Uber Freight’s coverage to 68% of the U.S. population, a figure expected to rise to 85% by the end of 2026.

Uber Freight’s Hany Elkordy — who previously built Amazon Logistics — told FreightWaves their goal has always been to “optimize for speed, cost and reliability.”

New GXO Leader Builds Upon Foundation as Second CEO

Transport Topics Connor D. Wolf November 13, 2025

Newly minted GXO Logistics CEO Patrick Kelleher sees opportunity for his company’s core business despite an enduring freight recession that has dragged on longer than many fleets expected.

How GE Appliances is using new tech to fuel a ‘zero distance’ supply chain

Supply Chain Dive Philip Neuffer November 13, 2025

GE Appliances is betting big on reshoring and automation technology to power a more resilient supply chain.

The company, which manufactures household appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines, has been scaling stateside production over the last decade, investing $3.5 billion in its operations throughout the country since 2016, with plans to spend another $3 billion in the next five years.

Shipper Activity Analysis

LinkedIn Kevin Hill November 13, 2025

Here are a few interesting nuggets from CarrierSource’s October 2025 shipper search activity report.

Mid-market businesses overtook small shippers as the most active segment, accounting for 41.29% of total activity, up from 38.33% in September.

– While Texas (9.17%) retained the top spot, its share continued to decline for the third consecutive month. California (7.90%) held steady, but Ohio (4.67%), Florida (3.61%), and Georgia (3.61%) emerged as regional anchors.

Link: CarrierSource Shippers Report – October 2025 (Registration Required For Report)

INDUSTRY

Carrier Logistics Unveils AI Tool to Streamline LTL Ops

Transport Topics November 13, 2025

Carrier Logistics Inc., a provider of freight management software for less-than-truckload carriers, recently launched a software tool that uses artificial intelligence to extract shipment data from bills of lading.

UP says cargo owners in Midwest would benefit from NS merger

Journal of Commerce Ari Ashe November 13, 2025 $Subscription Based

Cargo owners in Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan would be among the biggest winners if regulators approve Union Pacific’s (UP’s) proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), giving them more direct access to West Coast ports without an unnecessary and costly truck move, UP says.

Descartes report points to flattish U.S.-bound imports in October

Logistics Management November 13, 2025

“Despite an increase in volumes from China, overall U.S. container imports dipped slightly in October compared to September,” said Jackson Wood, Director of Industry Strategy at Descartes. “October’s performance likely signals ongoing caution among U.S. importers facing persistent geopolitical friction and regulatory volatility, which drive higher levels of supply chain uncertainty and complexity as policies shift and evolve quickly.”

Schneider Launches Fast Track Intermodal Service

Transport Topics November 13, 2025

“Reliability is a cornerstone of our operations,” said Jim Filter, executive vice president and group president of transportation and logistics. “Fast Track gives shippers peace of mind with unmatched speed and consistency, supported by our professional drivers and robust nationwide network of company-owned assets.”

TECHNOLOGY

2026: The age of the AI supply chain

Supply Chain Management Review Brian Higgins and Lenny LaRocca November 13, 2025

Indeed, the coming years are poised to be defined as the era of AI in supply chains, representing the next big cycle for leaders who are increasingly focusing on data governance and process standardization as a precursor to fully embracing AI and the agentic future. However, this next big cycle is not just about integrating the latest technology; it also involves a critical focus on upskilling the workforce and implementing effective change management.

Stop Running So Many AI Pilots

HBR  Goutam Challagalla et al. November 13, 2025 $Subscription Based

Companies eager to adopt generative AI often launch numerous pilots across departments, chasing quick wins and marginal efficiencies. But a scattershot approach won’t deliver transformative impact. The global consumer packaged goods company Reckitt took a different approach. It chose to go deep in one domain—marketing—where gen AI could be applied across interconnected tasks like insight generation, content creation, and product development.

The company at the heart of the AI bubble

The Verge Nilay Patel November 13, 2025

CoreWeave’s big innovation is creative financing. It raises huge sums of money to build data centers full of Nvidia GPUs, and then it leases access to them back to big AI companies to feed the industry’s seemingly insatiable demand for compute.

Tech job demand rose in October, CompTIA analysis shows

CIO Dive Roberto Torres November 13, 2025

Job postings for technology roles increased 5.3% month over month in October, according to a report published by CompTIA last week. The IT trade group analyzed data from market analytics firm Lightcast for the report. 

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

Electric-Truck Maker Harbinger Raises $160 Million

The Wall Street Journal Liz Young November 13, 2025 $Subscription Based

Harbinger Motors raised $160 million and secured an order from transportation giant FedEx as the company ramps up production of its medium-duty electric vehicles.

Related: Clean Trucking Harbinger raises $160M co-led by FedEx, plans more 2025 EV deliveries

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