Topic: Parcel Express

Q3 Freight Index: Carriers Fight Margin Pressure as Industry Faces Longest Downcycle in Years AFS and TD Cowen highlight freight market complexity, with historical models and economic shifts shaping short-term forecasts.

The September reading, at 57.4 (a reading above 50 indicates growth is occurring), trailed August’s 59.3 by 1.9%, coming in at its lowest level since March and its second-lowest this year—and it is the seventh consecutive month the LMI reading has been below the all-time overall average of 61.5.

The impetus for this planned action, Trump said, was due to China taking what he described as an extraordinarily aggressive position on trade, in the form of imposing large scale export controls on nearly every product made in China and some not made in China, including rare earth minerals.

A session at this week’s Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) EDGE conference in National Harbor, Maryland addressed various aspects related to the current state of the freight market, including the impact of various freight recessions, above-average inventory levels despite efforts to reduce them, the importance of maintaining shipper-provider relationships, as well the impact of tariffs, and other topics.

A trio of industry stakeholders—each focused on different areas of surface transportation, including truckload, ground parcel, and less-than-truckload (LTL)—addressed current market conditions for their respective modes, as well as take a look at key priorities shippers need to be focusing on in 2026, at a session at this week’s Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) EDGE conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

A panel of industry experts across different areas of the supply chain provided a detailed overview of market trends and themes this week in a session at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) EDGE annual conference, which was held in National Harbor, Maryland.

The firm said that based on its estimates it expects that 2.3 million packages will be delivered over this year’s peak, representing a 5% annual gain, attributing the expected increase to one more shopping day than there was in 2024.

As global trade has seen significant shifts in a short time across 2025, coupled with the ongoing need for supply chains to build resilience and speed and become ever more agile, the role of the supply chain has subsequently evolved to being able to respond in short order to various things.

Amazon Shipping will add peak season surcharges from Oct. 26 through Jan. 17, 2026, the company recently announced.

White House imposes steep tariffs on trucks, furniture, and pharmaceuticals as legal challenge to trade powers looms

Top-level executives at Plantation, Fla.-based global express delivery and logistics services provider DHL shared their thoughts and expectations about the 2025 Peak Season this week, on a company-hosted call.

While 32% of logistics stakeholders report operational disruptions like cost increases and slower deliveries, nearly half say they've seen no impact—suggesting a complex, uneven industry transition.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman spoke with Jeff Tafel, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones. Topics covered included: the impact of the recent removal of the de minimis exemption on Foreign Trade-Zone activity, the mission of the NAFTZ, and the impact of tariffs, among others.

In a Form 8-K statement issued last week, UPS said that it terminated its plans to acquire Estafeta due to the inability of all closing conditions to be satisfied.

Los Angeles-based alternative parcel delivery platform services provider Veho said this month that it has taken steps to expand its Southern California presence.

Quarterly revenue, at $22.2 billion, increased 3% annually, its highest annual growth rate since the pandemic, and operating income, at $1.30 billion, was up 7%. Earnings per share, at $3.83, beat Wall Street expectations, at $3.61.

The company stated that FedEx package standard list rates for U.S., U.S. export, and U.S. import services will increase by an average of 5.9%. And it said that rates for FedEx Ground Economy, FedEx Ground Multiweight, FedEx International Premium, and FedEx International Priority Direct Distribution will also head up.

The plan also covers steel, textiles, and around 1,400 other products from countries without trade agreements.

The United States Supreme Court said yesterday that it has agreed to hear arguments in regards to the legality of tariffs implemented by the White House under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), in the form of an expedited review set to begin in November.  

Logistics Management (LM) Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Matt Muenster, Chief Economist for Green Bay, Wisc.-based Breakthrough, an innovator in transportation management, dedicated to creating transparent and fair strategies for the world’s leading shippers. Muenster provided Berman with an overview of trade and tariffs, the industrial economy, and Peak Season, among other topics.