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TRUCKING

2025’s peak retail season the best for trucking in years

Freight Waves John Paul Hampstead January 3, 2026

While capacity has been bleeding out of the trucking market at a fairly steady, gradual rate, what’s much less clear is the demand situation. A protectionist trade policy consisting mostly of a tariff regime unprecedented in both its high rates and rapid enactment pulled imports forward, then choked them off. Massive investment deals announced by shippers in conjunction with the White House, while impressive, will take years in some cases to bear fruit.

The Trucking Industry Can’t Cut Its Way to Prosperity in 2026

Bloomberg Thomas Black January 3, 2026 $Subscription Based

The demand side of the equation still looks anemic for 2026 after the goods economy was thrown into a cycle of uncertainty and weakness because of President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff strategy. This uncertainty for manufacturers and retailers still lingers.

Will We See a Heavy-Duty Truck Pre-Buy in 2026?

Heavy Duty Trucking Deborah Lockridge January 2, 2026

How Will 2027 EPA Engine Rules Change?

Industry insiders say the most likely change is that the increased useful life and warranty provisions will be removed from the rule or postponed. These provisions were anticipated to be the biggest factor in driving up the cost of new trucks meeting the 2027 rules.

Ken Vieth, president of ACT Research, estimated that two-thirds of the previously anticipated higher price for 2027 engines was going to be extending the warranty provisions.

Kodiak taps Bosch to scale its self-driving truck tech

TechCrunch Kristen Korosec January 5, 2026

Self-driving trucks company Kodiak AI announced on Monday it is working with global automotive supplier Bosch to develop a system of hardware and software that can give standard big rigs autonomous driving capabilities.

Related: Freight Waves Kodiak AI partners with Bosch to scale autonomous truck platform

Beyond the highway: Waabi’s bet on door-to-door autonomy

Freight Waves Thomas Wasson January 2, 2026

Waabi recently released a blog post about its latest business updates and how its autonomous trucks are literally “taking it to the streets.” It’s less an advocacy pun than a competitive advantage, as many autonomous big rigs have focused on highways. The blog post also included the announcement of a new direct-to-customer business model.

Link: Waabi Blog Post Waabi unlocks direct-to-customer model with surface street driving capabilities

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI®

S&P Global January 2, 2026

Manufacturing operating conditions improve at slower pace as demand weakens

The latest survey showed a weaker gain in production, amid a renewed contraction in new order books – the first in exactly a year.

New rules: Privacy laws reshape ecommerce compliance for B2B sellers

Digital Commerce 360 Mark Brohan January 2, 2026

Across these new statutes, the common thread is familiar: expanded rights for residents around personal data and new duties for businesses that collect, process or share that data. For ecommerce sellers that service other businesses — from manufacturers and distributors to wholesalers and SaaS platforms supporting order management — the changes underscore that even B2B digital commerce operations are not immune from consumer-focused regulation.

INDUSTRY

Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern defend completeness of merger application

Freight Waves January 3, 2026

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern defended their merger application as complete, and said federal regulators should reject the efforts, primarily by “competitors who will experience increased competition as a result of the merger,” to delay and prolong the merger process.

Supply-demand imbalance puts ocean carriers on course for heavy losses

Journal of Commerce Greg Knowler January 2, 2026 $Subscription Based

The big picture: A growing imbalance between supply and demand will bring the container shipping industry’s five-year profitability voyage to an end in 2026. With vessel capacity outstripping volumes on the major trade lanes, analysts expect carriers to fall into the red as early as the first quarter, culminating in a multi-billion-dollar combined loss for the full year.

TECHNOLOGY

2026 AI Business Predictions

PWC December 2025

In 2026, we expect more companies to follow the lead of AI front-runners, adopting an enterprise-wide strategy centered on a top-down program. Senior leadership picks the spots for focused AI investments, looking for a few key workflows or business processes where payoffs from AI can be big. Leadership then applies the right “enterprise muscle”—talent, technical resources, and change management. Often, this program is executed through a centralized hub that we call an “AI studio.”

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

DHL and CMA CGM accelerate decarbonization of ocean freight with joint biofuel initiative

Biodiesel Magazine January 2, 2026

DHL Global Forwarding and CMA CGM have taken a significant step toward decarbonizing global container transport. The two companies have agreed to jointly use 8,990 metric tons of UCOME second-generation biofuel, enabling an estimated 25,000 metric tons of CO2e well-to-wake emission reduction for ocean freight transported under DHL's GoGreen Plus service.

States made marijuana use legal. Now they should get it off the road.

The Washington Post Opinion Keith Humphreys and Beau Kilmer December 29, 2025 $Subscription Based

The consequences are easy to see. A 2024 survey indicated that at least 11.7 million people in the United States had driven under the influence of cannabis in the prior year. That’s not far below the 14.2 million estimated to have driven under the influence of alcohol.

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

White House delays furniture tariff increases for a year

Supply Chain Dive Max Garland January 2, 2026

Since Oct. 14, kitchen cabinets, vanities and upholstered wooden products like couches, sofas and chairs have incurred a 25% tariff. On Wednesday, the rate for cabinets, vanities and associated parts was slated to jump to 50%, while the tariff for upholstered furniture would have increased to 30% prior to the delay.

INDUSTRY EVENTS

JumpStart 2026

January 26-28

Renaissance Atlanta Waverly

The Definitive Supply Chain Intelligence Gathering

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