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

 

Averitt announces expansion plans to terminal network

Freight Waves Todd Maiden February 20, 2026

Less-than-truckload carrier Averitt announced plans to add warehouse space and dock doors to its network over the next two years.

The Cookeville, Tennessee-based carrier said it will add nearly 900,000 square feet of warehouse space and 379 dock doors by 2027. It also plans to grow truck parking by nearly 2,000 spaces over that time.

Link: Averitt New Release Averitt Invests in the Future Through Facility Enhancements

 

'Great news for spot rates'? Supreme Court rules against Trump emergency tariffs

Overdrive February 20, 2026

Section 122 tariffs Miller believed would be challenged in court almost immediately if exercised, he said, and were the court to keep those tariffs from taking effect, "we will see a massive surge of imports into the USA in the short term."

 

Trucking groups weigh in on Supreme Court clawback of IEEPA tariffs

Trucking Dive David Taube and Larry Avila February 20, 2026

FTR Transportation Intelligence

“We do not see a significant impact on trucking broadly speaking in volume, but the chaos and uncertainty injected into supply chains might produce some volatility in certain areas — mainly in intermodal drayage and, possibly, dry van in port regions.

 

FedEx Spots Opportunities Bolstering Network and Tech

Transport Topics Connor D. Wolf  February 20, 2026

FedEx transports about $2 trillion of goods annually while delivering more than 17 million packages each business day. These efforts are supported by a global team of more than 500,000 employees.

 

All Truck Drivers to Be Required to Take CDL Test in English

Transport Topics/Associated Press Josh Funk February 20, 2026

All truck drivers and bus drivers will have to take their commercial driver license tests in English as the Trump administration expands its aggressive campaign to improve safety in the industry and get unqualified drivers off the road.

 

DOT on cleaning up trucking: ‘Work is just beginning’

LandLine Mark Schremmer February 20, 2026

During a news conference on Friday, Feb. 20, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy and FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs outlined a broad plan of attack to remove unsafe truck drivers and motor carriers.

“The work is just beginning,” Duffy said.

 

FMCSA Rulemakings Target Chameleon Carriers, Driver Training

Transport Topics Noël Fletcher February 20, 2026

Duffy said the efforts aim to modernize and strengthen federal systems used to verify motor carrier identity, ownership and compliance — a direct response to chameleon carriers that repeatedly shut down and reopen under new DOT numbers to evade enforcement.

 

Judge gives UPS green light for $150,000 buyouts to drivers

Freight Waves Eric Kulisch February 21, 2026

A federal judge on Friday dismissed a Teamsters request to prohibit United Parcel Service from implementing a $150,000 buyout program for parcel delivery drivers, saying that union claims of harm were unfounded because arbitration can resolve any problems and that workers will be subject to involuntary layoffs if some don’t voluntarily leave the company.

 

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

 

We tested Amazon’s speedy delivery live on the podcast: Here’s what it says about the future of retail (Podcast 44m)

Geek Wire Todd Bishop February 21, 2026

“They’ve totally rewritten so much of retail, and I don’t think they’re done,” Levin said. Amazon has essentially substituted its logistics operation for its physical retail presence, with well over half of orders now arriving same day or next day, up from a small fraction five years ago.

 

GXO sees demand tailwinds across North America as automation drive intensifies

Freight Waves Noi Mahoney February 20, 2026

GXO Logistics is positioning North America as its central growth engine in 2026, betting that reshoring, tariff-driven supply chain redesign and accelerating automation will fuel margin expansion and free cash flow gains.

 

INDUSTRY

 

Manifest Highlights Supply-Chain Tech Payoff  (Podcast 35m/Transcript Available)

Bloomberg Talking Transports Lee Klaskow February 20, 2026

In this episode of the Talking Transports podcast, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Lee Klaskow shares conversations from the floor of Manifest conference in Las Vegas, where innovation — not freight volumes — dominated. Vendors spotlighted AI agents for less-than-truckload workflows, robotics for e-commerce packaging, autonomous trucking, corrugate solutions to cut waste and reverse-logistics platforms to speed up resale readiness. C.H. Robinson cited 95% automation of LTL missed pickups, while robotics firm Ultra targets a $2–$3 billion packaging automation opportunity. Last-mile startup GoFo is challenging FedEx and UPS with lower-cost DSP models, while autonomous trucking firm Bot Auto is prioritizing cost-per-mile economics before scaling.

 

Why ships could be Trump’s not-so-secret tariff weapon

Freight Waves Stuart Chirls February 20, 2026

Proposed fees on containerized imports could give President Donald Trump a new lever to raise revenue after the Supreme Court limited his power to implement emergency tariffs.

 

InMotion Global Buys LoadPilot TMS

Transport Topics February 20, 2026

InMotion Global, developer of AscendTMS, said Feb. 20 that it has acquired LoadPilot TMS and will immediately begin migrating the software’s freight brokerage and agent customers into its cloud‑based platform.

 

 

A Comprehensive List of Supply Chain Organizations

Supply Chain 24/7 February 22, 2026

Supply chain professionals across procurement, transportation, warehousing, manufacturing and automation rely on industry associations for education and networking.

Here is a comprehensive list of major supply chain associations in the United States and globally. We’ll update it regularly as the industry evolves.

 

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

 

California needs to step up on clean trucks to counter federal rollbacks | Opinion

The Sacramento Bee Ethan Elkind and Marie Grimm February 19, 2026

First, the state legislature could create a “Clean Miles Standard” for freight, which would require shippers to meet a certain percentage of the miles their goods travel via clean technologies, like zero-emission trucks.

 

Illinois is at a turning point in transportation policy, new bills this session can speed momentum

Environmental Defense Fund Blogs February 19, 2026

SB3732/HB5600 — Warehouse Pollution Reduction Act

Reducing warehouse-related pollution and incentivizing a transition to zero-emission vehicles

The growth in e-commerce over the last few decades has led to considerable diesel truck pollution from warehouses and distribution centers, impacting air quality and risking serious health impacts for communities and workers. This bill would reduce that pollution through a points-based program that incentivizes zero-emission vehicles and other pollution mitigation measures.

 

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

 

Tariffs Are a Wild Card for the Economy Again

The Wall Street Journal Chao Deng February 22, 2026 $Subscription Based

Before Friday, President Trump’s tariffs, after months of on-again, off-again turbulence, had seemed to finally steady. Now, with the bulk of Trump’s tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, and a new, temporary global tariff in place, fresh questions hang over the U.S. economy.

 

Tariff Ruling Sends CEOs Back to Company War Rooms

The Wall Street Journal Chip Cutter et al. February 21, 2026 $Subscription Based

Trade groups for retailers, apparel makers and others said they hoped companies could quickly reclaim billions in tariffs payments. The National Retail Federation called on courts to provide a “seamless process to refund the tariffs to U.S. importers.”

Related: DC Velocity U.S. businesses line up for tariff refunds after Supreme Court decision

 

Five key takeaways from the Supreme Court’s landmark decision against Trump’s tariffs

CNBC Jeff Cox February 21, 2026

RSM chief economist Joseph Brusuelas characterized the likely economic fallout as “narrow,” though there are “enormous potential winners from this ruling,” particularly in the tariff-sensitive retail and manufacturing sectors.

 

INDUSTRY EVENTS

 

Truckload Carriers Association

February 28 -March 3 Kissimmee, FL

Truckload 2026

 

S&P Global

March 1-4 Long Beach, CA

TPM 26

 

NMFTA

March 8-10 Savannah, GA 

2026 Spring Meeting

 

MODEX

April 13-16 Atlanta, GA

MODEX2026

 

TMSA

June 7-9 Denver, CO

Elevate

 

 

 

Click here to unsubscribe or to change your Subscription Preferences.