Left Lane Associates

Maersk’s Head of its Transpacific Market for Ocean put it plainly at a Supply Chain Dive outlook event earlier in July: “It is increasingly difficult to really predict where that next disruption is going to come from.” The list in 2026 alone, with the fuel shocks from the Strait of Hormuz crisis, CDL enforcement tightening driver capacity, rising cargo theft, and the volatile trade policy situation, would have seemed extreme in any single prior year. Now, this is the operating environment.

Donna Lemm of IMC Logistics noted that shippers who view the COVID-19 pandemic as the ceiling of possible disruption are now reconsidering that assumption. Moreover, the strategies that matter most going into the third quarter, with peak season compounding an already tight capacity market, are the ones that don’t depend on predicting the next shock, such as diversified sourcing, strong partner relationships, and real-time visibility across the network.

Read the article for more: https://www.truckingdive.com/news/logistics-resiliency-is-critical-as-disruptions-pile-up-in-2026/825504/

The U.S. Logistics Managers' Index (LMI) climbed to 71.1 in June, the first reading above 70 since March 2022, driven by stronger-than-expected consumer spending and a broad restocking push among retailers and larger firms. As a monthly survey of supply chain executives at director level or above, the LMI measures the expansion or contraction of the logistics industry. In June’s report, warehousing utilization and prices rose, transportation utilization tightened, and inventory levels climbed as businesses positioned ahead of back-to-school and holiday seasons.

Florida Atlantic University's Steven Carnovale noted that the inventory push may also reflect proactive positioning ahead of potential new tariffs. Respondents expect continued expansion over the next 12 months, though rising inflation and tightening freight capacity remain the key risks to that outlook.

Check out this article to learn more: https://www.supplychainbrain.com/articles/44415-us-supply-chains-grow-to-strongest-levels-since-2022

Selling a business is a personal turning point, not just a financial event. This article from Forbes emphasizes that the owners who make decisions they're still satisfied with long after closing are the ones who clarified their answers to the personal questions first.

The five highlighted here are: What does the next season of life actually look like? What's really driving the interest in selling? What matters most in a deal beyond price: is it the employees, legacy, the cultural fit? Is a clean exit the goal, or some continued involvement? And perhaps most importantly, am I ready for who I'll be after the sale? For many owners, a business isn't just an asset. It's an identity, a routine, and a community. The financial preparation matters, but the answers to these personal questions can be just as important.

Read the article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbooksauthors/2026/06/03/5-questions-to-ask-yourself-before-selling-your-business/

Domestic rail container volumes are running ahead of every comparable year back to 2020, with June posting nearly 13% year-over-year growth. This year's summer volumes have already surpassed last year's peak season levels, an unusual milestone that points to genuine demand rather than favourable comparisons. J.B. Hunt's Q2 intermodal loads hit a record, up 10% year-over-year, with its president of intermodal noting that truck-to-rail conversion activity is running at levels not seen in more than a decade.

The economics driving this are that domestic intermodal is currently running roughly 30% cheaper than truckload on a contract basis, well beyond the 10–15% discount typically needed to pull freight off the road. However, it remains to be seen whether rail networks and their surrounding drayage and transloading infrastructure can keep absorbing this pace of conversion without the service cracks that have derailed similar pushes in the past.

To find out more, check out this article in FreightWaves: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/intermodals-historic-growth

Container bookings into the United States have been soaring close to annual highs for nearly a month, with a flurry of activity over the past two weeks pointing to shippers trying to get ahead of July 24, the expiration date of the 10% across-the-board surcharge on goods from nearly all countries imposed by the U.S. government through Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974.

However, it’s important to note that not all of this is tariff-driven, as noted by Zach Strickland of FreightWaves. Most container bookings occur within a week of expected departure, and the high volume of orders scheduled 2-4 weeks out suggests that tariffs aren’t the only factor behind the rise in booking figures. It appears that many shippers are simply restocking or preparing for upcoming demand, potentially caught off guard by consumer resilience in the first half of the year.

Read the article for more insights: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-much-is-trade-policy-influencing-imports

Both truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) rate indexes established new highs in the second quarter, signalling the U.S. freight industry’s continued recovery from a nearly four-year downturn. Moreover, according to a recent report from AFS Logistics and TD Cowen, rates are expected to continue to climb into the third quarter.

Some important points to note from the report: LTL rates hit an all-time high, 76.5% above the 2018 baseline, with fuel surcharges running 60% higher than they were a year ago. More than 48,000 non-compliant drivers have exited the market in the past year, and small carriers are parking trucks rather than absorbing current diesel prices, while major LTL carriers are pulling rate increases forward. Routing guides set during the early 2026 bid season are already crumbling, with carriers targeting double-digit contractual increases this year and next.

Read the FreightWaves article to learn more: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tl-ltl-rates-to-hit-new-highs-in-q3

Financial models track the obvious supply chain costs, such as materials, freight, and storage. However, the ones quietly compressing margins are harder to see. These are slow inventory cycles, decision lag, compliance friction, and “fragmentation tax” or the waste from poor visibility and disconnected partners.

This Forbes article offers a collection of hidden supply chain costs that can hurt business growth, offered up by members of their Business Council, and a few stand out as especially relevant right now. Carrier relationships built purely on cost pressure fail during disruption, and when capacity tightens, loyalty determines access. Variability in lead times, quality, and vendor performance forces excess inventory and reactive decisions that compound across the business.

Ultimately, the companies building resilience into their supply chains aren’t just cutting costs; they’re gaining agility and margins that hold under pressure.

Find out more here: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2026/05/15/hidden-supply-chain-costs-that-can-hurt-business-growth/

The Ontario government is introducing Planning Act amendments that would allow municipalities to issue monetary penalties directly against illegal truck yards operating on agricultural, rural, and residential land, bypassing the court-based enforcement process that currently takes years and frequently costs more in legal fees than the fines recovered. The Halton Hills region alone recorded more than 50 illegal truck depots and 40 active investigations in 2025, with the largest fine secured through court proceedings totalling $115,000, an amount that didn’t cover enforcement costs.

The province is also identifying surplus government lands in Peel, York, and Halton that could be converted to legal truck and trailer parking, addressing both the enforcement problem and the underlying supply shortage that drives operators to illegal sites in the first place.

Check out this article in TruckNews.com to learn more about this issue: https://www.trucknews.com/business-management/ontario-moves-to-crack-down-on-illegal-truck-yards/1003215404/

After a very public delay and weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Canada, Michigan, and the U.S. government have reached an agreement: the Gordie Howe International Bridge opens to commercial traffic on July 27. For Canadian carriers, the immediate benefit is straightforward, as trucks will connect directly from Highway 401 to Interstate 75 without navigating Windsor city streets, cutting crossing times and reducing operating costs. The trucking industry estimates that companies could save anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 annually, depending on size and crossing frequency.

More broadly, a second major Windsor-Detroit crossing isn’t just added capacity for the North American supply chain industry; it’s added competition, and competition drives efficiency.

Read the CTV News article to learn more: https://www.ctvnews.ca/windsor/article/why-truckers-say-the-gordie-howe-bridge-changes-everything/

Image Source: Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor

A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 94 months in federal prison for his role in an organized cargo theft ring that stole more than USD 1.5 million in freight from over 10 victims, including $230,000 in newly minted dimes lifted from a trailer leaving the Philadelphia Mint.

What unravelled the operation wasn’t witness testimony, but instead digital evidence in the form of group chat messages, GPS data, and bank surveillance footage. The FBI warns that freight theft continues to evolve as organized crews are increasingly combining old-school trailer burglary with identity fraud. The reminder for fleets and shippers here is that physical security at truck stops remains as important as digital vetting.

Learn more about cargo theft in this recent FreightWaves article: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/federal-case-reveals-how-a-cargo-theft-ring-operated-in-plain-sight