I spent several hours on Sunday raking leaves. I filled up 15 bags, lined up nicely along the sidewalk for the city to pick up.
By Tuesday, my entire lawn and backyard were covered in leaves again.
‘Tis the season.
I have to admit: I don’t mind raking leaves. I come from a long line of manual laborers, and compared to cutting sugarcane beneath the hot Cuban sun, raking leaves is child’s play.
What I do mind is not being able to enjoy the fruits of my labor for more than a day or two. Seeing the lawn covered again is so deflating. But I’ll be out there again, and again, until the last leaf falls and the last bag is filled. Then I’ll sit and relax for a while,
until the first snowfall.
—
Moving on, here’s the supply chain and logistics news that caught my attention this week:
- Court appears dubious of Trump’s tariffs (SCOTUSblog)
- Tariff-Driven Shifts Continue to Shape Asia’s Manufacturing Activity (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- GXO Eyes Expansion as Tariffs Bolster Demand for Foreign Trade Zones (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- Truck OEMs Score Win Over CARB in Clean Trucks Lawsuit (Transport Topics)
- Descartes’ Study Finds 67% of Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers View Technology as Fundamental to Growth
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Selects Exiger’s AI as Critical Tool for Detection of Illicit Transshipment
- Walmart deploys sensors to boost inventory tracking, AI efforts (SupplyChainDive)
- Organized Crime Behind Surge in Freight Cyberattacks, Study Finds (SupplyChain247)
- Here Come the Robot Swarms! (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- UPS readies 5.9% rate bump, fee increases on Dec. 22 (SupplyChainDive)
- FMCSA’s CDL crackdown is fracturing freight networks (CCJ)
- AfA warns of capacity crunch following US action against Mexican airlines (Aircargo News)
Arguing Tariffs at the Supreme Court
The biggest news this week was what I previewed last week: the Supreme Court hearing on the legality of the Trump tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
“The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed skeptical of President Donald Trump’s authority to impose sweeping tariffs in a series of executive orders earlier this year,” reported Amy Howe in SCOTUSblog. “During more than two-and-a-half hours of oral arguments, a majority of the justices appeared to agree with the small businesses and states challenging the tariffs that they exceeded the powers given to the president under a federal law providing him the authority to regulate commerce during national emergencies created by foreign threats.”
That said, if you read the full recap by Howe, some of the justices did push back on some of the arguments put forth by Neal Katyal, the lawyer representing the small businesses. So, while the questioning overall seems to indicate the justices are leaning in the challengers’ favor, it is still unclear how they will ultimately rule, which both parties have urged the Supreme Court to do as quickly as possible.
It’s important to note that a ruling against the Trump administration does not necessarily mean an end to the tariffs. It just means it can’t use IEEPA as a justification. But it can use other statutes that would be on more solid legal ground, such as Section 232 (for national-security reasons), Section 301 (to retaliate against unfair trade practices), and Section 201 (to stop import surges).
How do you think the Supreme Court will rule? If tariffs are rolled back or reduced, what actions would your company most likely take? What if the Supreme Court upholds the legality of the tariffs, what actions would you take then? What are the biggest risks or opportunities for supply chains depending on how the Supreme Court rules?
Members of our Indago supply chain research community — who are all supply chain and logistics executives from manufacturing, retail, and distribution companies — are sharing their perspectives on those questions and more in this week’s survey. They will receive the research report with the results next week.
(Not a member of Indago yet? Sign up today at joinindago.com. There is no cost to join, it’s confidential, the time commitment is less than 5 minutes per week, and your participation will benefit a variety of charities!)
The bottom line is that, one way or another, tariffs will remain a wild card in supply chain planning and decision-making heading into 2026.
And with that, have a meaningful weekend!
Song of the Week: “Wild” by Spoon
