Topic: Logistics

The report’s benchmark reading, the PMI, registered a reading of 48.2 (a reading higher than 50 indicates growth), down 0.5% compared to October, contracting, at a faster rate, for the ninth consecutive month, with the overall economy growing, at a slower rate, for the 67th consecutive month.

The logistics industry enters 2026 feeling a strong sense of déjà vu, as shifting tariffs, uneven freight markets, and persistent uncertainty left many managers reliving the same disruptions throughout 2025. Yet amid the volatility, technology—especially AI—offers a path forward, and those willing to adapt, rethink partnerships, and invest in smarter tools will be best positioned to navigate the chaos ahead.

Companies worldwide are accelerating their adoption of advanced logistics technologies—from cloud platforms and control towers to generative and agentic AI—as they push toward higher levels of automation, autonomy, and real-time decision-making. Yet with markets, industries, and regulatory environments maturing at different speeds, success hinges on strong data foundations, selective tech investment, and a phased roadmap that builds from analytics and automation toward predictive and fully autonomous logistics capabilities.

Six months into the latest tariff wave, the US faces a widening gap between policy-driven optimism and the real-world challenges of restoring competitive, resilient domestic manufacturing.

In a speech at last week’s RailTrends conference in New York, Union Pacific Railroad CEO Jim Vena made the case for Union Pacific’s historic proposed $85 billion merger with Norfolk Southern, in advance of the company submitting its merger application to the Surface Transportation Board.

With an expected December 1 date for the application regarding the historic $85 billion proposed merger between Class I railroad carriers Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, there was no shortage of opinions regarding the deal at the RailTrends conference.

With a 3.1-cent gain, the national average came in at $3.868, for the week of November 17.

The state of the North American intermodal market could be described as somewhat bifurcated, based on a presentation at last week’s RailTrends conference in New York by noted intermodal expert Larry Gross, president of Gross Transportation Consulting.

In a wide-ranging presentation at the RailTrends conference in New York last week, Adriene Bailey, partner and head of the North American Rail Team at Oliver Wyman, offered up detailed insight and analysis on various topics impacting the North American freight railroad market.

Logistics Management Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently interviewed Ali Faghri Chief Strategy Officer at Greenwich, Conn.-based national less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier XPO. Faghri provided Berman with a detailed overview of the LTL market, economic conditions, and how XPO is leveraging AI, among other topics, in the interview below.

High-value cargo and volatile trade conditions are reshaping freight management, demanding a shift from reactive tracking to proactive, data-driven control.

Companies are responding by diversifying sourcing and looking for new trade routes.

Total October volume, at 1,616,956 units, decreased 2.0% annually, following respective 2.4% and 1.6% annual gains seen in September and August, respectively. Which was preceded by July’s 4.4% annual gain, which saw higher volumes due to the pulling-forward of goods being imported during the previous pause on the White House’s reciprocal tariffs.

As AI accelerates across manufacturing and automotive supply chains, leaders must balance technology adoption with workforce readiness, trust, and strategic restructuring to unlock enterprise-wide value.

POLA reported that October volume, at 848,431 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), fell 6.25% annually, and POLB reported that October volume, at 839,671 TEU, fell 14.9% annually, compared to October 2024, the port’s strongest month on record in its 114 years of operations.

October spot truckload volumes and rates were largely mixed again, according to the new edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index, which was recently released by DAT Freight and Analytics.

ATA reported that its October advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, came in at 111.9 (2015=100), following September’s 114.3 reading and was down 1.8% annually and is flat year-to-date through October. This followed respective 1.1% and 0.9% gains in July and August.

First quarter revenue growth expectations were described as steady in the report, with an average forecast of 2%, while positive revenue sentiment hit 72%, its highest level since the second quarter 2025, following a 69% projection, for the fourth quarter, in the report’s previous edition.

The report, entitled "Transport M&A Review: Q3 2025," stated that quarterly deal volume, at 111, saw an 18% decrease compared to the second quarter, which was also slow, adding that on an annual basis Q3 deal volume was off 47% compared to the third quarter 2024.

October imports, at 2.71 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) fell 3.4% annually, again seeing a sequential decline compared to September’s 2.72 million TEU, August’s 2.9 million TEU, and July’s 3.01 million TEU.