2025 didn’t just bring softer demand and weird seasonality. It quietly rewrote the rules for what moves, where it moves from, and how it’s taxed and regulated.

In this FreightFA Brief, the focus is on three policy changes that most freight teams have not fully repriced into their 2026 plans:

1. Marijuana Reclassification: Niche Upside, Big Liability

The U.S. move to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III looks like a healthcare story, but it has freight consequences.​

* More medical cannabis products and research over time means more regulated, high‑value SKUs that need secure transport and tight chain of custody.

* At the same time, DOT drug‑testing rules for CDL drivers are now in a legal gray area, with industry groups warning about increased safety and litigation risk if marijuana use isn’t clearly prohibited in carrier policies.​

For shippers and carriers, this is a slow‑burn niche. The real risk isn’t missing the upside—it’s wandering into it without the right safety policies, insurance, and specialized equipment.

2. De Minimis Is Dead: Cross‑Border E‑Com Grows Up

The bigger near‑term shock is the effective end of de minimis (Section 321) as we knew it.

* A July 2025 executive order suspended duty‑free treatment for low‑value imports under the $800 threshold, with full effect rolling in by late summer.​

* Trade and customs experts spent Q3 and Q4 confirming the new reality: those “duty‑free” small parcels now need standard customs entries, duties, and clean data.​

Operationally, that means:

* Cross‑border DTC and marketplace parcels are more expensive and more complex to move.

* Many brands will consolidate shipments (fewer tiny parcels, more consolidated freight) and lean harder on 3PLs, forwarders, and customs brokers that can handle compliance and distribution together.​

This is a structural tailwind for logistics providers with strong cross‑border e‑com products and real customs capability. It’s also a margin squeeze for merchants who built their economics on de minimis arbitrage.

3. Tariffs 2.0: Sourcing and Lanes Get Redrawn (Again)

Layered on top of all this: tariffs are back with teeth.

* 2025 brought new and higher U.S. tariffs on a range of Chinese goods, including EVs, batteries, solar, and a 25% tariff on many medium and heavy vehicles and parts.​

* Tariff trackers now show collections above $200 billion, helped by “reciprocal” measures and continued pressure on strategic sectors.​

For freight and supply chain:

* Sourcing continues to shift out of China and into Mexico and other “China+1” locations, driving more cross‑border Mexico–U.S. volume and new inland lane structures.​

* Importers are constantly rebalancing SKUs, origins, and ports to optimize the mix of duties, lead times, and transportation cost, which shows up as sudden lane and volume volatility for carriers and 3PLs.​

Why This Matters for 2026 Planning

These three moves aren’t academic. They directly change:

* What is moving (new cannabis SKUs, reshaped product portfolios under tariffs)

* Where it’s moving from (China to Mexico or other alternatives)

* How it moves (small parcels becoming consolidated freight; more customs friction, more compliance touchpoints)​

For shippers, that means your 2026 routing guide, trade strategy, and network design need to talk to each other. For carriers and 3PLs, it’s a chance to step up as the partner who can handle cross‑border, customs, and regulated product—not just be “cheap capacity on a lane.”

Who to forward this to

* The person who owns your routing guide

* Your trade compliance/customs lead

* Whoever is modeling 2026 freight budgets and network scenarios

If they aren’t baking in weed, de minimis, and tariffs, they’re working off last year’s rulebook.

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