Aifleet is cutting its fleet size from approximately 180 trucks down to about half and letting go of nearly 100 personnel, triggered by the abrupt termination of a contract with a key supplier.

The air cargo market is facing its own shock following a tragic crash, resulting in the temporary grounding of MD-11 freighters by both UPS (27 planes) and FedEx (28 planes) as a precautionary measure, following Boeing's recommendation. Since the MD-11 makes up about 9% of both companies' main fleets, this temporary loss of lift creates significant capacity tightness systemwide heading into peak season.

Simultaneously, U.S. tariff policies are forcing real, fundamental supply chain changes, with IKEA, for example, estimating over $400 million in additional tariff-related costs this year alone. This pressure is accelerating nearshoring efforts, with Mexico emerging as the strongest beneficiary, evidenced by investments like Motherson putting $50 million into a new auto parts plant and Kuehne+Nagel expanding its cross-border infrastructure in El Paso.

Looking overseas, the shift in sourcing is accelerating the decline in container import volumes, which are now projected to keep falling into early 2026, with December expected to be down almost 18% year-over-year. Meanwhile, the Suez Canal Authority, whose revenue plummeted 60% this year, is offering a 15% discount on tolls, hoping that stability returns and ships start coming back through the Red Sea in the new year. Finally, carriers must be cautious about immediate operational risks, as early blizzard conditions are severely hitting Chicago and the Midwest, causing major delays and poor visibility, especially around I-57.

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