Talking Logistics

We’re officially halfway through 2026 — or halfway out of it, depending on your perspective. Either way, it’s been an eventful six months in the world of supply chain and logistics. Looking back at the first half of the year, here are the five developments that stand out the most to me: The Strait of Hormuz crisis puts supply chains on high alert. Geopolitical tensions remind companies that global supply chains remain vulnerable to sudden disruptions.

On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court invalidated the tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. This introduced a new layer of uncertainty for global trade. As we all know, tariffs directly influence sourcing decisions, pricing, and broader supply chain strategy, so any shift in tariff authority or refund eligibility carries significant implications for importers, customs brokers, and logistics service providers.

I have a friend who blocks off two hours every Tuesday and Thursday for therapy. “Therapy” is literally what appears on his work calendar from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., week after week. His colleagues know not to schedule meetings or calls during that time. He’s been in therapy for years, but nobody has ever asked him about it. “I guess they assume I’m dealing with some serious mental health issues, but I’m just playing basketball during that time,” he said to me recently.

Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from the recently published research report, “The New Strategic Logistics Service Provider: What Winning Freight Forwarding and Customs Brokerage Leaders Are Doing Differently.” Conducted by Adelante SCM and commissioned by Magaya, the research examines how freight forwarders and customs brokers are responding to rising uncertainty, evolving customer expectations, and the growing role of technology and AI in daily operations.

The logistics industry has a growing AI paradox. Investment is rising, use cases are multiplying, and belief in AI’s potential is near-universal. Yet for shippers, the promise has been slow to materialize. According to a January 2026 BCG and Alpega survey of more than 180 logistics executives, only one in ten logistics service providers have embedded AI into core operations at scale.

It’s Friday. It’s Juneteenth. And the U.S. plays Australia in the World Cup this afternoon. A trifecta that means few people will be working today, and if they are, they’ll have other things on their minds besides what’s happening in the world of supply chain and logistics. I’d be wondering, for example, whether Boston will run out of beer again this weekend.

I am taking the afternoon off to tighten screws. Literally. There are loose screws everywhere in this house. All the screws on our door knobs, loose from all the opening and closing. All the screws beneath our dining room chairs, loose from all shifting in our seats. The screws behind our kitchen cabinet knobs? The screws inside the plastic feet of our rice cooker? They’re loose too. Even the tiny ones on my reading glasses need to be tightened. I know what you’re thinking: Adrian has a screw loose.

Last June in The Wall Street Journal, Esther Fung reported how “new advances in robotics are [enabling the automation of truck loading and unloading].

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In response to the Covid pandemic and other disruptions, many companies shifted from Just-in-Time to Just-in-Case inventory strategies. But as demand normalized, many warehouses were left with growing amounts of “Zombie Inventory” — slow-moving, obsolete, or no-longer-needed items that tie up valuable warehouse space, working capital, and management attention. Just how big is the zombie inventory problem?