Logistics Management

Logistics Management recently caught up with John Lash, group VP of product strategy for connected supply chain platform services provider e2open, a WiseTech Global Group company, on various topics related to tariffs, trade policies, and their collective impact on both businesses and consumers. The Q&A follows below.

The new edition of the Global Shipping Report, which was recently issued by Waterloo, Ontario-based Descartes, a provider of logistics based on-demand, software-as-a-service offerings, pointed to mild United States-bound import gains. This the 58th edition of the Global Shipping Report, going back to its debut in August 2021.

It seems the pricing pendulum has finally swung in favor of trucking carriers, just as peak freight season has arrived. Shippers, who’ve had the upper hand the past three years, are facing tougher market conditions that have drastically changed since the first of the year. Trucking capacity has been reduced. The government is cracking down on foreign-born truck drivers, affecting capacity. Tariffs are in place on both power units and trailers, affecting cost and capacity.

Large companies are willing to pay significantly more to make their supply chains more resilient, according to a new report from Proxima. The Global Supply Chain Resilience Outlook, based on a survey of 515 CEOs at companies with more than $500 million in annual revenue, found that 72% would accept paying more than a 10% increase in supplier costs if it guaranteed greater supply chain resilience. On average, CEOs said they would accept a 17.3% increase.

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes saw annual gains, for the week ending July 4, according to data recently issued by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Rail carloads, at 212,691, posted a 3.7% annual gain, with volumes coming in lower than previous weeks, due to the timing of the July 4 holiday, and trailed the weeks ending June 27 and June 20, at 232,408, and 233,259, respectively.

Following May, which saw ongoing spot truckload rate gains while volumes headed down, June represented more of the same, with tighter truck capacity leading to profits, as opposed to freight demand, according to the new edition of the DAT Truckload Volume Index, which was released this week by DAT Freight and Analytics.

United States second quarter rail carload and intermodal volumes saw solid annual gains, according to the new edition of “Rail Time Indicators,” which was issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Rail carloads, at 3.00 million, posted a 2.3%, or 67,894 carloads, annual increase, with total weekly average carloads, at 230,577, marking the highest quarterly tally going back to the fourth quarter 2019.

Earlier this week, the United States Department of Transportation said it has made nearly $2 billion in infrastructure investments across the country, as well as territories and the District of Columbia. The investment—totaling $1.73 billion—is going towards 127 projects, on various fronts, including critical roadway, transit, rail, maritime, and aviation infrastructure improvements for American families and businesses, according to DOT.

Preliminary June Class 8 truck net orders again posted strong annual gains, according to recent data respectively issued by FTR and ACT Research. FTR reported that preliminary June Class 8 preliminary net orders, at 30,500, were up 16% over May and up 241% annually compared to what it called a very weak comparison, adding that over the past five months, annual comparisons have topped the 100% mark.

Recording Date/Time Thursday, July 9, 2026 8:49AM Podcast Duraton 30:59 hrs/min/sec Topics covered in this podcast included: the current state of the intermodal market, in terms of volumes, service, and rates; the impact of the Iran conflict on intermodal; the intersection of key economic indicators and intermodal; the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger; trade and tariffs, and modal shifts, among others.