Above the Fold: Supply Chain Logistics News (June 26, 2026)

By Adrian Gonzalez

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.

It’s what keeps him sane and healthy.

And really, that’s the point.

Taking a break from work to play pickup basketball with friends is therapy. Just like cycling is for me, which reminds me: I have a therapy appointment at 11 a.m. today.

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Before I get on my bike, here’s the supply chain and logistics news that caught my attention this week:

The Strait of Hormuz: The Risks and Uncertainties Continue

On Tuesday, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced that it “will begin the implementation of the evacuation plan for over 11,000 seafarers still stranded in the region. This large-scale operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal States in the region, the United States and the maritime industry.”

On Thursday, however, as reported by CNN, “Iran struck a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing a pause on evacuations of stranded seafarers and demonstrating its continued ability to restrict the critical waterway, despite the agreement reached last week with the United States.”

“While Iran has not claimed responsibility,” the article adds, “Thursday’s attack came hours after its powerful revolutionary guards warned that vessels would only be given safe passage via Iranian routes, challenging the Trump administration’s claim that the strait is free and open once more.”

According to Allianz Research, approximately 1,150 cargo vessels, carrying an estimated $125 billion in ships and cargo and as many as 20,000 seafarers, remain in the Persian Gulf waiting to resume operations following the recent diplomatic breakthrough.

The firm notes that “this underscores the structural importance of maritime chokepoints and how critical they are for shipping and international trade, while also highlighting the severe disruptions to vessel operations and mental strain that has been placed on those seafarers who have endured months on board facing the threat of attack.”

Unfortunately, despite the much-criticized Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, the disruptions, risks, and uncertainties surrounding the Strait of Hormuz appear likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Will transits through the Strait of Hormuz eventually return to pre-war conditions, or is this the “new normal” that shippers, carriers, and insurers will have to navigate?

Hope for the former. Plan for the latter.

It’s Not Enough to Vet Carriers. You Have to Prove You Did

Last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Montgomery case made one thing clear: freight brokers must take carrier vetting seriously and treat it as a core operational discipline. In practice, that means having defined, documented, and auditable carrier vetting and selection policies and processes.

To help address this need, Descartes announced this week “a new review management and audit logging capability within Descartes MyCarrierPortal™ to help freight brokers, third party logistics service providers (3PLs) and shippers create auditable, transparent carrier selection processes.”

According to the press release:

Built directly into the Descartes MyCarrierPortal carrier onboarding and compliance solution, AuditLog combines carrier review management and audit logging in a single workflow, helping organizations create a clear record of carrier evaluations, management reviews and onboarding decisions. The solution automatically documents carrier risk assessment information, review activity, management oversight and outcomes at the time decisions are made, preserving a historical record of carrier evaluations and onboarding decisions. This “snapshot in time” approach helps organizations maintain a record of what information was available and considered during the review process, as carrier profiles, safety records, operating authorities and risk factors may evolve over time.

In the post-Montgomery era, technology isn’t just about improving efficiency. It’s also about creating the documentation and audit trail needed to demonstrate that carrier vetting was performed consistently and responsibly.

You can say you have strong carrier vetting and selection processes. But if you’re sued, what will matter is whether you can demonstrate, with documentation and audit trails, that those processes existed and were followed consistently.

Will this ruling change industry behavior? It should. I’m not convinced it will.

And with that, it’s time for therapy. Have a meaningful weekend!

Song of the Week: “Metropolis” by The Church