Supply Chain Intelligence Brief

Click here to view this email in your browser.

The Supply Chain Intelligence Brief is a SMC³ member benefit that provides a snapshot of the day’s key industry news. Stay informed and connected with the SMC³ Supply Chain Intelligence Brief. Opt out at any time, with no impact to other SMC³ communications you may receive. If you would like to add any coworkers to the distribution list for this publication, please reply to this message with their names and email addresses.

TRUCKING

How America’s trucking industry became a hellscape

Freight Waves Craig Fuller December 5, 2025

Over the past few months, I’ve spoken with hundreds of senior executives at America’s largest trucking companies. Nearly all say they only recently discovered the massive influx of foreign drivers and motor carriers. Most assumed the trend was gradual; none realized it was exponential.

Truckload spot rates spikes are telling us something

Freight Waves Zach Strickland December 6, 2025

Truckload spot rates excluding the estimated cost of fuel jumped 8% over the two-week period from November 19 to December 4. This increase was slightly sharper than in the previous two years, which saw slower but similarly sized moves around the Thanksgiving holiday. Sharp, sudden rate spikes have been a defining feature of the truckload market this year.

How trucking costs are changing, in 4 charts

Trucking Dive Shefali Kapadia December 5, 2025

Trucking has been stuck in a perfect storm with increased operating costs, flat rates and reduced freight volumes.

At the same time, shippers are putting pressure on carriers to reduce rates, according to Anthony Apa, Jr., president and owner of Illinois-based Mark-it Express. The result: fleets are squeezed between rising expenses and stagnant revenue.

English-language crackdown exposes how cheap labor and CDL fraud are remaking trucking

Freight Waves Noi Mahoney December 5, 2025

After doing research, Bates said he traces the problem back to a “perfect storm” of federal policies, including the 2016 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration memorandum that told states not to place non-English-proficient drivers out of service, as well as the White House’s claim in 2021–2022 of creating more than 870,000 new CDL holders — without explaining who those drivers were.

Preliminary November Class 8 truck orders see another month of declines

Logistics Management December 5, 2025

FTR reported that preliminary November Class 8 truck net orders, at 20,200 units, were down 17% sequentially and 44% annually, which it said is far below the 10-year average of 28,910, with total orders coming in at 214,797 units over the last 12 months.

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

Transportation Insight Holdings names Alan Gershenhorn interim CEO as Ken Beyer departs

Freight Waves Craig Fuller December 5, 2025

Mr. Beyer said, “I am very proud of what our team has achieved over the past five years at TI, NTG, and Beon. During that time, we have significantly advanced our digital capabilities, creating a scalable and efficient operating platform that supports customer success from port to porch.

INDUSTRY

USPS-Amazon contract uncertainty grows as reverse auction plan raises stakes for 2026 renewal

Logistics Management Jeff Berman December 5, 2025

The report added that Amazon is the USPS’s largest customer, accounting for more than $6 billion in annual revenue and around 7.5% of sales.

Data center buildout fuels construction boom, project cargo windfall

Journal of Commerce Autumn Cafiero Giusti December 5, 2025 $Subscription Based

Data center megaprojects are driving a surge of non-residential and industrial construction in the US, mounting a wave of breakbulk and project cargo activity to come as those projects advance.

Total construction starts in the US rose by 21.1% in October to $1.53 trillion over the previous month, according to Dodge Construction Network (DCN), an industry data provider.

Tariff Threat Forces U.S. Ports to Rethink Upgrade Plans

The Wall Street Journal Paul Berger December 5, 2025 $Subscription Based

The threat of steep tariffs on Chinese ship-to-shore cranes is upending plans to modernize American ports, even after the Trump administration paused the new duties for a year.

Shipping industry executives say the 100% levies—part of a wider campaign to blunt China’s maritime dominance—are prompting port operators to rethink projects to add bigger, modern cranes to U.S. docks.

Nexperia spat shows automotive supply chains vulnerable to geopolitics

Supply Chain Dive Paul Myles December 5, 2025

The semiconductor shortage created over the ownership of the chip manufacturer Nexperia in the Netherlands is not just a governance dispute, it’s a warning shot across the bow for the automotive industry.

That’s the view of Moody’s Supply Chain Director Sapna Amlani, who believes automakers have to build more varied and robust supply chains to avoid similar disruptions.

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

California’s ban on self-driving trucks could soon be over

TechCrunch Kirsten Korosec December 4, 2025

The DMV’s revised rules would require self-driving truck companies to go through a phased permitting process, mirroring current regulations applied to light-duty autonomous vehicles like robotaxis. Companies would first receive a permit to test with a human safety operator behind the wheel. The DMV issues separate permits for driverless testing and deployment.

One Man’s Mission to Get Back $4 Million of Stolen Skincare Products

The Wall Street Journal Ruth Simon December 5, 2025 $Subscription Based

Just days after Medroso’s shipment went missing, he says goods branded with his company’s name—Sky & Sol—popped up for sale on Amazon.com at deeply discounted prices. That is what led him to believe his cargo had been stolen

Horizon Motors secures solid-state battery supply with Chery Automotive

Clean Trucking Jay Traugott December 5, 2025

Solid-state batteries are widely viewed as the next major advance in EV energy storage, offering higher energy density, improved safety, better range, and the prospect of longer life cycles compared with lithium-ion and LFP packs.

Green economy now worth over $5 trillion annually: report

ESG Dive Lamar Johnson December 5, 2025

The market has been the second-fastest growing sector in the past decade and is expected to reach $7 trillion annually by 2030, according to Boston Consulting Group and the World Economic Forum.

Link: Boston Consulting Group Green Economy Surpasses $5 Trillion: New Report Highlights Path to $7 Trillion by 2030

NEVI Funds Available Again for EV Charging Networks

Transport Topics/Bloomberg News Kyle Stock December 5, 2025

In recent weeks, more than 40 states have solicited or signed contracts to build new electric car charging stations in rural areas, underserved cities and other places where they might not have otherwise made economic sense, according to Rick Wilmer, CEO of ChargePoint Holdings Inc., one of the country’s largest networks.

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

The Institute Employment Report: Jobs growth slowed in November, suggesting the economy remains in “low-hire/low-fire” mode.

Bank of America Institute David Tinsley November 5, 2025

It appears that the easing in lower-income households’ wage growth may have leveled off, but a large gap between lower-income households’ wage growth and higher-income households’ wage growth remains.

The Year of America’s Cranky Consumer

The Wall Street Journal Chao Deng December 7, 2025 $Subscription Based

American households are nearing the end of the year feeling a lot more dour about the economy than they did at the beginning, even as they keep spending.

High prices, a fragile job market and anxiety about President Trump’s tariffs have helped drag consumer sentiment, as measured by the University of Michigan, down near historic lows this year.

Examining How Amazon Fulfillment Centers Influence Local Economic Growth

Knowledge at Wharton Serguei Netessine December 5, 2025

Serguei Netessine, professor of operations, information and decisions and senior vice dean for Innovation and Global Initiatives at the Wharton School, discusses new research analyzing how Amazon fulfillment centers affect county-level employment, median household income, and poverty rates.

INDUSTRY EVENTS

SMC³

Jumpstart 2026

January 26-28

Renaissance Atlanta Waverly

The Definitive Supply Chain Intelligence Gathering

Session Highlight:

Keynote Speaker Peter Sheahan, Founder & Group CEO of Karrikins Group, Innovative Business Strategist, Best-Selling Author

Having grown his own companies by accelerating the growth and transformation for clients that include: Apple; Chick-fil-A; DeBeers; and AT&T – Peter will provoke you to get bigger, by getting better! When leaders are true to their purpose, they gravitate towards doing work that matters and solving higher-order problems. The journey to get there requires that they have the courage to tell themselves the truth, take intelligent risks, and assume ownership for driving the alignment necessary to build an organization which behaves in ways worthy of its leadership position.

In being true to his own ambitions and relentless pursuit of growth, Peter has published seven books, built three global companies and delivered more than 2,500 presentations in 40+ countries. Today he is focused exclusively on inspiring leaders to do the hard work required to accelerate growth and transformation.

Click here to unsubscribe or to change your Subscription Preferences.