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 ArcBest plans to double earnings by 2028

Freight Waves Todd Maiden September 29, 2025

On the asset-based side, the company is forecasting low-single-digit shipment growth annually, a portion of which is tethered to demand recovery in the industrial and housing markets. A sales campaign focused on core accounts has yielded approximately 2,000 incremental daily shipments, with a goal of reaching 4,000 new shipments per day from primary customers by 2028.

Link: ArcBest Investor Day Presentation

ArcBest execs pitch ‘confidence’ in ‘strong returns’ to investors

TB&P Arkansas Michael Tilley September 29, 2025

Following are some of the company strengths and financial exceptions noted in Monday’s (Sept. 29) presentation.

• Expanded LTL network by approximately 800 net doors since 2021, enabling service to 80% of U.S. businesses within one hour, while maintaining one of the youngest, most efficient fleets to reduce costs and enhance safety. 

Modest hike but no ‘great disruption’ seen for truckload pricing in 2026

Journal of Commerce William B. Cassidy September 29, 2025 $Subscription Based

Contract rates should rise about 2% by the end of 2026, while transactional truckload spot rates claw their way up 6% from this year’s bottom, according to Arrive Logistics.

Link: Arrive Logistics Truckload Freight Rates Forecast Q3 2025 Update

Here’s What DOT’s Emergency CDL Ruling Means for Trucking

Transport Topics Noël Fletcher September 29, 2025

California faces the harshest consequences. FMCSA auditors found 25% of California’s non-domiciled CDLs in violation of federal rules — what Duffy called the most “egregious” licensing situation of any state. California has issued 60,000 non-domiciled CDLs total, according to Duffy.

XPO converts lease in Florida from AAA Cooper Transportation

Trucking Dive David Taube September 29, 2025

The LTL carrier previously leased the property, which AAA Cooper Transportation owned, but there are no changes to XPO’s presence or operations in the market at this time, the company told Trucking Dive.

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

Tariff costs, need for speed seen reshaping retail inventory strategies

Journal of Commerce William B. Cassidy September 29, 2025 $Subscription Based

Higher tariff costs are pushing US retailers toward leaner inventory management at the same time that consumers are still seeking faster delivery of goods through more fulfillment channels.

INDUSTRY

CSX CEO removed amid activist pressure in wake of UP-NS merger

Journal of Commerce Ari Ashe September 29, 2025 $Subscription Based

Joe Hinrichs was ousted as CEO of CSX Transportation on Sunday by the railroad’s board of directors, just over a month after an activist investor called for him to step down amid competitive pressures brought on by the proposed merger of Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway.

CSX taps Steve Angel as CEO to drive next phase of growth

Logistics Management Jeff Berman September 29, 2025

The reasons for that, he observed, were that during his three years at the company, Hinrichs oversaw a period marked by meaningful deterioration in the company’s operating ratio and persistent service issues. What’s more, he noted that, more recently, his firm, “believed the Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern M&A agreement and Hinrichs’ private discussion with Berkshire brought further scrutiny, underscoring concerns that he had not demonstrated the full spectrum of leadership required for someone in that role.”

TECHNOLOGY

Microsoft launches ‘vibe working’ in Excel and Word

TechCrunch Tom Warren September 29, 2025

The software maker is launching a new Agent Mode in Excel and Word that can generate complex spreadsheets and documents with just a prompt.

Link: Microsoft Vibe working: Introducing Agent Mode and Office Agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot

Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 4.5, its best AI model for coding

TechCrunch Maxwell Zeff September 29, 2025

The company says Claude Sonnet 4.5 is capable of building “production-ready” applications, rather than just prototypes, representing a leap in reliability from previous AI models.

Link: Anthropic Introducing Claude Sonnet 4.5

Real AI Agents and Real Work

One Useful Thing Ethan Mollick September 29, 2025

AIs have quietly crossed a threshold: they can now perform real, economically relevant work.

Last week, OpenAI released a new test of AI ability, but this one differs from the usual benchmarks built around math or trivia. For this test, OpenAI gathered experts with an average of 14 years of experience in industries ranging from finance to law to retail and had them design realistic tasks that would take human experts an average of four to seven hours to complete (you can see all the tasks here). OpenAI then had both AI and other experts do the tasks themselves.

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

Group calls for more safety regs in wake of Deadliest Truck Crash report

CCJ Jason Cannon September 29, 2025

The "deadliest dozen" states for truck crashes, according tot he report, in order are Wyoming, New Mexico, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Idaho, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kansas, Montana, South Dakota, and Alabama. NHTSA reports that large truck fatalities remain high, at nearly 5,500 deaths. In addition, there were more than 150,000 injuries.

Related: Freight Waves Wyoming tops deadly truck crash list

Link: Truck Safety Coalition Worst Fatal Crash States

Why General Motors Boss Mary Barra Is Slamming the Brakes on Lofty EV Ambitions

The Wall Street Journal Sharon Terlep September 29, 2025 $Subscription Based

Not long ago, Chief Executive Mary Barra declared that General Motors was a decade away from quitting gas-powered cars, setting the course for a new mission, one that would safeguard the planet for generations.

Regulatory uncertainty slowing US electric vehicle adoption: report

Trucking Dive Eric Walz September 29, 2025

Although the EY forecaster predicts a short-term spike in U.S. EV sales in Q3 as buyers rush to take advantage of the EV tax credit of up to $7,500, the timeline to reach 50% EV adoption won’t happen now until 2039 — five years later than previously forecast.

Link: EY China races ahead in EV transition as Europe recalibrates and US stalls

DHL & Henkel: Bidding to Cut Ocean Freight Emissions

Manufacturing Digital Georgia Collins September 29, 2025

The collaboration utilizes a "Book & Claim" system to manage the environmental benefits of using sustainable fuels.

Through this model, ocean carriers use waste and residue-based maritime fuels on behalf of DHL Global Forwarding. The resulting emissions reductions are then assigned to Henkel.

‘Regional fragmentation’ confuses sustainability requirements, experts say

ESG Dive Lamar Johnson September 29, 2025

“We’ve been through an era for some time where there was slow but steady convergence around expectations in different parts of the world, and that has basically ground to a halt,” Business for Social Responsibility CEO and President Aron Cramer said. “We’re seeing a ton of regional fragmentation.”

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

Economic conditions outlook, September 2025

McKinsey Sven Smit et al. September 29, 2025

For the second quarter in a row, surveyed executives view changes in trade policy and relationships as the primary disruption to global, domestic, and company growth. In the latest McKinsey Global Survey on economic conditions,1 just one-third of respondents say they are confident in their organizations’ ability to manage trade policy changes.

Click here to unsubscribe or to change your Subscription Preferences.