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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

Forward Air says strategic review nearing conclusion

Freight Waves Todd Maiden February 23, 2026

Forward Air announced it is “nearing the conclusion” of a strategic review. The comments were made on a call discussing fourth-quarter results on Monday after the market closed.

Links: Forward Air Corporation 4Q25 Earnings Presentation and Earnings Release

2026: The year TL carriers turn the tide?

Freight Waves Todd Maiden February 23, 2026

Shippers may not have it so easy finding capacity moving forward. Upheaval across the supply side of trucking has shifted market balance even without a meaningful uptick in demand.

FMCSA plans to restore ‘integrity of American trucking’

LandLine Mark Schremmer February 23, 2026

On Friday, Feb. 20, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy and FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs outlined a variety of efforts to clean up the trucking industry. Those efforts include taking unsafe truck drivers and motor carriers out of operation, improving driver training and cracking down on fraud.

FMCSA targets ‘chameleon carriers,’ announces industry reforms

Trucking Dive David Taube February 23, 2026

Administrator Derek Barrs said the agency was introducing three new rules and other efforts as part of the overhaul.

Link: Department of Transportation Driving The News Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs Announce New Actions to Secure America’s Roads

2026 FleetOwner 500: For-Hire list

Fleet Owner Josh Fisher February 23, 2026

Schneider National edges past TFI in the 2026 FO500, while the Top 10 carriers remain unchanged, showing stability at the largest U.S. fleets.
Mergers and acquisitions drove major fleet movements, demonstrating how strategic deals continue to reshape market positions.
The FO500 added 39 new companies, signaling ongoing growth, consolidation, and evolving opportunities across the for-hire trucking sector.

SHIPPERS / 3PLs

Walmart: Supply chain spending set to ‘peak’ next 2 years, CEO says

Supply Chain Dive Max Garland February 23, 2026

In the U.S., 23 of Walmart’s 42 regional distribution centers are in the process of being retrofitted with automation, per an earnings presentation, with the company’s eventual goal being to upgrade all locations. Walmart is also in the early stages of deploying supply chain automation in select international markets, EVP and CFO John David Rainey said on the call.

Home Depot Profit Falls As Home Improvement Downturn Continues

The Wall Street Journal Nicholas G. Miller February 24, 2026 $Subscription Based

“We continue to see pressure from consumer uncertainty and frozen housing conditions, said Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail in an interview. “Our customer who is the homeowner remains among the healthiest consumer cohorts, but they do tell us uncertainty is impacting their desire to spend on the home.”

Link: The Home Depot Earnings Release Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2025 Results; Provides Fiscal 2026 Guidance

Texas manufacturing sector growth remains solid

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas February 23, 2026

Expectations are for increased manufacturing activity six months from now. The future production index increased five points to 34.3, and the future general business activity index remained in positive territory but fell four points to 12.7. Other indexes of future manufacturing activity fell but remained in positive territory, indicating increased activity six months ahead.

Chicago Fed National Activity Index Suggests Economic Growth Increased in January

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago February 23, 2026

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) increased to +0.18 in January from –0.21 in December. All four broad categories of indicators used to construct the index increased from December, and two categories made positive contributions in January. The index's three-month moving average, CFNAI-MA3, increased to –0.06 in January from –0.29 in December.

INDUSTRY

“Textbook” case: Why trans-Pacific container rates continue to fall

Freight Waves Stuart Chirls February 23, 2026

“Average spot rates are down this week across all main fronthaul trades out of the Far East,” said Peter Sand, Xeneta chief analyst, in a note to clients. “From Far East to U.S. West Coast and U.S. East Coast, it is a textbook market development with falling spot rates coinciding with a slight uptick in offered capacity.”

Supply chain leaders seek tariff clarity as Trump juggles fees again

DC Velocity Ben Ames February 23, 2026

While the business sector awaits such a set of clear new rules, the court decision is already reshaping how importers manage trade and compliance, said John Lash, a supply chain expert and Group VP of Product Strategy at e2open. "For supply chains it means one thing, more uncertainty."

De minimis still shelved after Supreme Court’s tariff ruling

Supply Chain Dive Max Garland February 23, 2026

President Donald Trump reaffirmed the trade tool’s suspension and adjusted postal duty rates to match a new global tariff in an executive order Friday.

Manufacturers look for certainty following Supreme Court’s tariff decision

Manufacturing Dive Nathan Ownes February 23, 2026

“Ongoing legal and policy uncertainty makes it more difficult to make the long-term decisions that drive American competitiveness,” National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons and Rockwell Automation Chairman Blake Moret said in a joint statement Friday.

TECHNOLOGY

Viral Doomsday Report Lays Bare Wall Street’s Deep Anxiety About AI Future

The Wall Street Journal David Uberti February 23, 2026 $Subscription Based

“For the entirety of modern economic history, human intelligence has been the scarce input,” Citrini wrote in a post it described as a scenario dated June 2028, not a prediction. “We are now experiencing the unwind of that premium.”

Link: Citrini Research The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis

OpenAI calls in the consultants for its enterprise push

Tech Crunch Rebecca Szkutak February 23, 2026

OpenAI announced on Monday the “Frontier Alliance,” a signal that the AI lab is willing to try different approaches to get enterprises to meaningfully adopt its technology. The alliance includes multi-year partnerships between OpenAI and four major consulting firms, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), McKinsey, Accenture and Capgemini, to sell its enterprise products.

Link: OpenAI Introducing Frontier Alliances

Anthropic Education Report: The AI Fluency Index

Anthropic February 23, 2026

In line with our recent Economic Index, we find that the most common expression of AI fluency is augmentative—treating AI as a thought partner, rather than delegating work entirely. In fact, these conversations exhibit more than double the number of AI fluency behaviors than quick, back-and-forth chats.

How Staying Small Became AI Startups’ Biggest Flex

The Wall Street Journal Belle Lin February 23, 2026 $Subscription Based

Boosted by powerful new artificial-intelligence tools, Silicon Valley startups are running leaner than ever, spawning new benchmarks like revenue-per-employee and even talk of the billion-dollar, one-person company.

SUSTAINABILITY / SAFETY / SECURITY

EU States Give Final Approval to Omnibus Package to Cut Sustainability Reporting and Due Diligence Requirements

ESG Today Mark Segal February 24, 2026

EU member states in the European Council voted on Tuesday to approve an agreement to significantly scale back sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements for companies under the “Omnibus I” simplification package.

Link: European Council Press Release Council signs off simplification of sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements to boost EU competitiveness

BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

FedEx sues for refund of Trump tariffs, days after Supreme Court ruling

CNBC Dan Mangan February 23, 2026 $Subscription Based

Federal Express sued the U.S. government, seeking a “full refund” of the money the shipping giant paid for tariffs unilaterally imposed by President Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court last week ruled were illegal.

How the Frozen Housing Market Is Battering U.S. Manufacturers

The Wall Street Journal John Keilman February 23, 2026 $Subscription Based

The good news for appliance manufacturer Whirlpool is that when a refrigerator or washing machine breaks, homeowners generally purchase a new one. The bad news: The replacement usually isn’t very fancy.

People buy higher-end products when they are remodeling, moving or building a home.

AI Is Upending Marketing on Two Fronts

HBR Stefano Puntoni February 23, 2026 $Subscription Based

We’re in the middle of two concurrent revolutions that will reshape how companies compete for customers. One is about how consumers search for information. The other, just getting started, is about who makes purchasing decisions.

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