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

Gradual recovery ahead, but full rebound remains elusive

CCJ Pamella De Leon December 23, 2025

Though the transportation market was largely stagnant in 2025, signs indicate a gradual recovery rather than a complete rebound in 2026, according to DAT Freight & Analytics’ recent report.

For three-and-a-half years, the truckload market has remained persistently inverted, with spot rates trailing contract rates, according to the Freight Focus: Transportation & Logistics Outlook report.

Link: DAT Freight & Analytics Report DAT Freight Focus: Truckload Freight Trends and Market Outlook for 2026

Schneider Grows Dedicated Fleet to Near 8,600 Tractors

Transport Topics Keiron Greenhalgh December 22, 2025

Green Bay, Wis.-based Schneider’s dedicated fleet now numbers nearly 8,600 tractors, the company said in a release marking the 12-month anniversary of the $390 million acquisition of Cowan.

Link: Schneider Press Release Schneider’s Cowan acquisition delivers major Dedicated growth in first year

ATA seeks 5-year extension for young driver apprentice program

Trucking Dive David Taube December 22, 2025

The regulation involves the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program, which began in 2022 for a three-year period, allowing certain 18-to-20-year-olds to begin interstate driving of commercial vehicles with an experienced driver during probationary periods and then gain the ability to operate on their own within the program.

US Trailer Market Nears End of Subdued Year

Transport Topics Connor D. Wolf  December 22, 2025

U.S. trailer orders fell below prior-year results in November with freight market pressures continuing to weigh on activity, ACT Research reported. Preliminary net orders decreased 37% year over year to 13,000 units.

Commentary: How the FMCSA should investigate truck driving schools

Freight Waves John Paul Hampstead December 22, 2025

Unfortunately, as FreightWaves has shown, the ELDT rule was gutted before it became law, and truck driving schools essentially ‘self-certified’ with very little oversight from the FMCSA. There was no required minimum driving time specified in the training; no facilities would ever be inspected by the FMCSA; there was no verification of driving instructor qualifications or credentials.

FMCSA pins 'CDL mills' problem on self-certification

Overdrive Alex Lockie December 22, 2025

Barrs, speaking to a crowd at the Transportation Club of Jacksonville, painted self-certification as a bogeyman FMCSA can't banish fast enough. He said the agency will "work toward a regulatory process" to do away with "anything that has to do with self-certification at FMCSA." 

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

New legislation could upend truck broker margins

Freight Waves John Gallagher December 22, 2025

New legislation threatens to transform the way truck brokers do business, replacing voluntary vetting practices with a stiff federal penalty for contracting “unsafe” motor carriers.

Introduced by U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., the Patrick and Barbara Kowalski Freight Brokers Safety Act aims to improve roadway safety by holding freight brokers directly accountable for the safety records of the trucking companies they hire.

Stord to double e-commerce fulfillment capacity in Kentucky

Freight Waves Eric Kulisch December 22, 2025

Stord, a provider of turnkey e-commerce fulfillment services and logistics technology, has committed $40 million over five to 10 years to expand and modernize its largest shipping center, located in Hebron, Kentucky, to keep up with growing demand for online shopping.

Link: Stord Press Release Stord Makes Massive Multi-Year Investment Into Kentucky 

INDUSTRY

Carriers, POLA back UP-NS deal, citing lower transit times, costs

Journal of Commerce Ari Ashe December 22, 2025 $Subscription Based

Union Pacific Railroad (UP) has received support from the Port of Los Angeles and ocean carriers Ocean Network Express (ONE) and SM Lines for its proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), with the parties citing faster transit times, potential new business opportunities and reduced drayage costs for international intermodal freight.

Ports on Track for Record Year Despite Back-End Slowdown

Transport Topics Connor D. Wolf  December 22, 2025

The Port of Los Angeles is aiming for its third-best cargo year on record despite that slowdown in activity. The port reported that container volume in November decreased 12% from the previous year to 782,249 20-foot-equivalent units from 884,315. There was also a sequential decline of 7.8% from the 848,424 units reported in October. The port has handled 1% more containers at 9,447,731 TEUs during the first 11 months of this year compared with 2024.

Ocean rates: New Year promises a good ‘blanking’ for US East Coast

Freight Waves Stuart Chirls December 22, 2025

“Capacity offered from Far East to U.S. West Coast is expected to increase 10.4% in January compared to December, with blanked capacity decreasing 48.5%,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst for Oslo-based Xeneta, in a research note. “It’s a different story into the U.S. East Coast with 162,219 TEUs of blanked capacity announced for the next eight weeks.

TECHNOLOGY

AI Is Changing How We Learn at Work

HBR Lynda Gratton December 22, 2025 $Subscription Based

As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the workplace, it is also reshaping how people learn, develop expertise, and form their professional identities. Although gen AI promises to accelerate learning and boost productivity, it risks undermining

the very experiences that foster mastery, deep thinking, empathy, and personal agency. The challenge for leaders is to ensure that amid this transformation, organizations deliberately preserve the human experiences—struggle, choice, and interpersonal connection—that are vital for true development and flourishing.

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

NACFE Releases Updated Idle-Reduction Playbook for Trucking Fleets

ACT News December 22, 2025

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) has released a new report examining how trucking fleets can reduce idle time and associated fuel consumption. The report, The Idle-Reduction Playbook: Operational Strategies for Modern Trucking Fleets, marks the second update to NACFE’s original idle reduction Confidence Report published in 2014.

Link: NACFE The Idle-Reduction Playbook: Operational Strategies for Modern Trucking Fleets (Registration Required For Download)

FBI, TIA Expand Information Sharing on Cargo Theft

Transport Topics Connor D. Wolf  December 22, 2025

An expanding collaboration between the Transportation Intermediaries Association and the FBI aims to broaden information sharing to combat the rising threat of cargo theft in the logistics sector.

Click here to unsubscribe or to change your Subscription Preferences.