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TRUCKING

Truck Tonnage Slips 2.1% Sequentially During October

Transport Topics Connor D. Wolf  November 20, 2025

“Cass’ data certainly was not a positive development,” Michigan State University professor Jason Miller said. “They’ve been very clear to highlight that shipment counts are heavily down, with essentially less-than-truckload rates continuing to rise, whereas truckload rates, if they have risen, it’s by a far less substantial degree. What we’re seeing is the consolidation of larger LTL shipments into full truckload shipments.

Trucking Prepares for Subdued 2025 Holiday Shipping Season

Transport Topics Connor D. Wolf  November 20, 2025

The trucking industry expects a more subdued bump in freight activity this holiday shipping season amid ongoing headwinds and uncertainties.

Low truckload rates putting pressure on traditional RFP process

Journal of Commerce Eric Johnson November 20, 2025 $Subscription Based

A potentially perilous truckload market for carriers and brokers is raising questions on whether the traditional request for proposal (RFP) process that shippers use to secure contract rates from brokers and carriers is overly cumbersome.

Dry van rates on new contracts are, on average, 1% to 2% lower than the rates they are replacing, Chris Caplice, chief scientist at DAT Freight & Analytics, said in a market update Tuesday.

No retirement plans on deck for aging drivers, but job satisfaction high

CCJ Jason Cannon November 19, 2025

CCJ's 2025 What Drivers Want report, a survey of company drivers and leased owner-operators conducted in partnership with Netradyne, found the average age to be much higher: 59.5 years among survey respondents. Just 2% were 34 years old and younger.

Schneider eyes more dedicated M&A to expand fleet reach and lock in long-term freight

Fleet Owner Geert De Lombaerde November 20, 2025

A Schneider goal in growing its dedicated book has been to build business with a specialty component, Rourke said. That could mean using lightweight equipment, relay networks, or a “very high-touch, multi-stop retail-type configuration.” Once secured, that type of work is often sticky, he added, with customers signing contracts lasting three years or more.

Landstar outlines AI-based focuses for its operations

Trucking Dive Alejandra Carranza November 20, 2025

Landstar System is actively rolling out artificial intelligence enabled customer service solutions and will continue to invest in AI-enabled products within its portfolio of digital tools to support agents, capacity providers and employees, CFO James Todd said during a Q3 earnings call.

Class 8 Truck Sales Tumble 30% in October

Transport Topics Connor D. Wolf  November 20, 2025

Sales decreased 29.6% to 14,690 from the 20,859 units reported in October 2024. This marked the fourth consecutive month sales were down from the previous year, and they also declined 9.5% from 16,228 units in September.

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

Walmart e-commerce sales rise 27% as shoppers opt for same-day delivery

Freight Waves Eric Kulisch November 20, 2025

Sales for same-day delivery increased almost 70%, with nearly 35% of store-fulfilled orders delivered in under three hours, the retail giant said Thursday in an earnings report for the quarter ended Oct. 31.

The nation’s largest retailer says it can deliver to about 95% of U.S. households in under three hours, up from 93% late last year and 76% two years ago.

Related: The Wall Street Journal American Shoppers Are Looking for Deals and Walmart Is Cashing In

Walmart grows automation usage throughout supply chain

Supply Chain Dive Max Garland November 20, 2025

More than 60% of Walmart’s U.S. stores receive a portion of their freight from automated distribution centers, and over half of its e-commerce fulfillment center volume is moving through automated systems, per the release. Walmart said the increased use of automation is driving improved productivity on a per-unit basis.

Thanksgiving Weekend Expected to Draw Largest Number of Shoppers on Record

National Retail Federation November 20, 2025

A record 186.9 million people are planning to shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year, according to the consumer survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The figure is up more than 3 million total shoppers from the previous record of 183.4 million last year.

Salesforce: Cyber Week will break records with $334B in online sales

Chain Store Age Dan Berthiaume November 20, 2025

New data from Salesforce indicates that the 2025 edition of Cyber Week (Thanksgiving Day Thursday, Nov. 27 through Cyber Monday, Dec. 1) is expected to drive a record-breaking $334 billion in global online sales. This would represent a roughly 7% increase from the $314.9 billion in global online sales tracked by Salesforce in 2024.

RXO flags ‘fragile’ TL capacity makeup entering 2026

Freight Waves Todd Maiden November 20, 2025

The truckload spot market remained subdued in the third quarter and a modest peak season will likely keep a lid on rate increases in the fourth quarter, freight broker RXO outlined in its quarterly outlook released Thursday. However, the company said increased regulatory action targeting non-compliant CDL holders could tip the scales next year, ushering in “freight rate volatility.”

Link: RXO The Curve Q4 2025 Truckload Market Forecast: Spot & Contract Rate Trends

Lowe's grows online sales in Q3, plans entry into agentic commerce market

Digital Commerce 360 Abbas Haleem November 20, 2025

Lowe’s grew online sales by double digits in its fiscal Q3, helping lift total sales in the quarter as consumers also made larger purchases from the home improvement retailer.

Total Lowe’s sales in its fiscal Q3 reached $20.81 billion.

Central U.S. Manufacturing Activity Accelerates

The Wall Street Journal Ed Frankl November 20, 2025 $Subscription Based

Activity at factories in the central U.S. accelerated this month, helped by improved employment and shipments, a monthly survey said.

Link: Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Tenth District Manufacturing Activity Grew Further in November

FMCSA’s tighter bond enforcement looms over freight brokers in 2026

Freight Waves John Paul Hampstead November 20, 2025

On January 16, 2026, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s long-awaited updates to broker and freight forwarder financial responsibility rules fully kick in, transforming the $75,000 surety bond from a largely paper requirement into a rigidly enforced floor.

INDUSTRY

Slump of US imports from Asia deepening

Journal of Commerce Mark Szakonyi November 20, 2025 $Subscription Based

The end of year in ocean shipping in the US is generally lackluster given that most retailers have already brought their goods into the country and still have a month or two early in the new year to restock. But this end to 2025 and start of 2026 is looking more than just lackluster; it’s a deepening slowdown with no end in sight.

Half of U.S. transportation firms used AI to manage the Q4 peak

DC Velocity November 20, 2025

Specifically, companies said they had used AI to anticipate shifting freight demand (47%) and manage rising transportation and fuel costs (48%). And nearly every leader surveyed (96%) said their teams are using AI for planning, operations, and decision-making, most often for analytics and reporting (77%), route and load optimization (63%), and freight forecasting (56%).

Teradar emerges with $150M backing to replace radar and LiDAR in autonomous vehicles

Freight Waves Thomas Wasson November 20, 2025

The technology performs consistently in adverse weather conditions, maintaining image quality through fog, rain and snow. “I can flood this entire scene with dense fog, heavy rain or snow, and our image stays exactly the same. Zero degradation. That is not an incremental improvement. That is a new category,” Carey said.

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

FMCSA May Withhold Millions From 4 States Over CDL Flaws

Transport Topics Noël Fletcher November 20, 2025

Texas, South Dakota, Colorado and Washington were sent lengthy letters Oct. 23 by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Chief Counsel Jesse Elison detailing preliminary determinations of noncompliance in failing to follow federal regulations.

New York City’s Delivery Boom Is Leading to More Crashes and Injuries

 Supply Chain 24/7 November 20, 2025

A new report from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander reveals more truck crashes, higher injury rates, and concentrated pollution around last mile warehouses.

Transitioning to circular enterprises: the role of supply chain management

The Supply Chain Xchange Steve Tracey and Kusumal Ruamsook November 20, 2025

The overarching aim of the circular economy is to move away from thinking about a product having an “end of life,” such as is seen in linear take-make-waste systems. Instead, companies need to focus on integrating the concepts of “value added” and “value retained” into a product’s lifecycle thinking.

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

Middle Class Is Buckling Under Almost Five Years of Persistent Inflation

The Wall Street Journal Rachel Louise Ensign and Rachel Wolfe November 20, 2025 $Subscription Based

After nearly five years of high prices, many middle-class earners thought life would be more affordable by now. Costs for goods and services are 25% above where they were in 2020.

Future of Business: Walmart’s CEO on AI, Jobs, and Managing Rapid Change (Podcast 32m/Transcript Available)

HBR IdeaCast November 20, 2025

In this episode, host Adi Ignatius speaks with Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who since announced he’ll be retiring in early 2026. They discuss how the world’s largest company makes it through global disruption and supply chain shocks, their ongoing digital transformation including the implementation of AI, and how McMillon aims to stay close to the original purpose of the company.

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