Supply Chain Intelligence Brief

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TRUCKING

How Kodiak and Bosch Plan to Scale Autonomous Trucks

Heavy Duty Trucking Jack Roberts January 5, 2026

The Kodiak–Bosch partnership is not a single off-the-shelf “autonomy kit,” nor is it a turnkey system being rolled out tomorrow. Instead, it’s a multi-year collaboration focused on developing and validating a range of components that will ultimately support autonomy-ready trucks at scale.

USPS to remove unvetted non-domiciled drivers from trucking fleet

CCJ Jason Cannon January 5, 2026

The U.S. Postal Service said on Monday it will begin working with its contracted trucking providers to phase out the use of non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) operators who have not been thoroughly vetted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

Manufacturing output declines for 10th consecutive month, reports ISM

Logistics Management Jeff Berman January 5, 2026

“A major concern in this report is that 85% of the manufacturing sector was in contraction in December, up from 58% in November, with the percentage of manufacturing GDP in strong contraction [defined by ISM as 45% or lower] up to 43% and up compared to November’s 39%,” said Spence. “Overall, the sentiment is not great, nor is the employment picture."

Link: Institute For Supply Management ISM® Manufacturing PMI® Report

3PL Trinity Logistics Buys Granite Logistics

Transport Topics Keiron Greenhalgh January 5, 2026

Trinity Logistics on Jan. 5 acquired Granite Logistics for an undisclosed sum, the third-party logistics provider said.

Seaford, Del.-based Trinity ranks No. 60 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America. Trinity also ranks No. 24 among freight brokerages.

Germany’s TO Group opens U.S. footprint in Cleveland

DC Velocity January 5, 2026

With the establishment of its U.S. location, the TO Group says it is creating a strategic hub for North America Services and strengthening its role as an international logistics service provider offering tailor-made solutions for sea and air freight, project and breakbulk logistics, and roll-on/roll-off transport.

INDUSTRY

Stord buys e-commerce specialist Shipwire from Ceva Logistics

Freight Waves Eric Kulisch January 5, 2026

The deal enables Stord to expand its fulfillment volume and footprint with the addition of 12 fulfillment centers, AI technology and access to Ceva’s global network of 1,000 warehouses.

Link: Stord Press Release Stord Acquires Shipwire from CEVA Logistics Extending Nationwide and Global Coverage

Delivery Reliability Now Matters as Much as Speed, Survey Finds

Supply Chain 24/7 January 5, 2026

The data shows that fast shipping has become the baseline. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. shoppers said delivery within two to three days should be standard for online orders.

Amazon loses court fight over NLRB process involving DSPs

Freight Waves John Kingston January 5, 2026

A decision handed down in the final days of 2025 in the ongoing dance among Amazon, the Teamsters and a now-closed Direct Service Provider (DSP) is another development in the union-driven effort to organize the drivers who deliver parcels to homes and businesses.

TECHNOLOGY

Boston Dynamics’ AI-powered humanoid robot is learning to work in a factory

CBS 60 Minutes Bill Whitaker and Marc Lieberman January 4, 2026

The Massachusetts company, valued at more than a billion dollars, is hard at work on a humanoid it calls Atlas. South Korean carmaker Hyundai holds an 88% stake in the robot maker. We were invited to see the first real-world test of Atlas at Hyundai’s new factory near Savannah, Georgia. There, we got a glimpse of a humanoid future that’s coming faster than you might think.

Related: Transport Topics Hyundai Showcases Humanoid Robot for Work in Car Factories

Nvidia wants to be the Android of generalist robotics

TechCrunch Rebecca Bellan January 5. 2026

Nvidia revealed details on Monday about its full-stack ecosystem for physical AI, including new open foundation models that allow robots to reason, plan, and adapt across many tasks and diverse environments, moving beyond narrow task-specific bots, all of which are available on Hugging Face.

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

Tesla releases video of its electric Semi and its companion Megacharger

CCJ January 5, 2026

In a video posted to the battery-electric Semi’s X account, Tesla showcased the truck charging at a staggering 1.2 megawatts (MW).

Trimac begins Hyundai hydrogen truck pilot

Trucking Dive Larry Avila January 5, 2026

“We aim to understand how this solution performs under real-world conditions and what will be required to make it practical at scale,” Abe Masri, manager of energy transition and sustainability with Trimac, said in a statement.

NC State studying benefits of shifting on-highway freight to rail

CCJ January 5, 2026

The collaborative research initiative between NC State University and Railinc is exploring how even modest shifts in freight volume from trucks to trains can yield significant cost savings, environmental benefits, and infrastructure planning insights.

FMCSA says under-21 interstate commercial drivers can finish apprentice program

Trucking Dive David Taube January 5, 2026

Commercial drivers age 18 through 20 in the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program can continue with an under-21 exemption even though the program ended Nov. 7, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said in an email.

I tested Nvidia’s Tesla Full Self-Driving competitor — Tesla should be worried

The Verge Andrew J. Hawkins January 5, 2026

For roughly 40 minutes, we navigate a typically chaotic day in San Francisco, passing delivery trucks, cyclists, pedestrians, and even the occasional Waymo robotaxi. The Mercedes, under guidance from Nvidia’s AI-powered system as well as its own built-in cameras and radar, handles itself confidently: traffic signals, four-way stops, double-parked cars, and even the occasional unprotected left.

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

Transportation Stocks Eye Record on Economic Growth Hopes

Transport Topics/Bloomberg News Matthew Griffin January 5, 2026

“There has been a rotation over the last few months from some fully valued technology names to more overlooked sectors such as transportation,” said Dec Mullarkey, managing director at SLC Management. “With an optimistic growth outlook for 2026 consumer demand should remain strong and by extension transportation.”

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