Never forget.
It’s been 25 years since the September 11 attacks. As someone who grew up in Brooklyn with a view of the Twin Towers from my bedroom window, it’s impossible for me to forget the horrors of that day.
May the memory of all those who died that day — including our neighbor’s pregnant daughter and her husband who were on American Airlines Flight 11 — and those who died in the years that followed from health issues linked to the dust and debris, continue to be a blessing to all who knew and loved them.
But remembering also means remembering clearly. As NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch put it earlier this week, “The scale of the loss and the devastation that day was unfathomable, and so, too, was the heroism that we witnessed in response. Preserving that history also means preserving its moral clarity. The men who attacked this city were terrorists. The men and women who ran into the towers to save innocent lives were heroes. Twenty-five years cannot be allowed to blur that distinction, and shame on those who do.”
I will never forget.
I can’t. I won’t.
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Here is the supply chain and logistics news that caught my attention this week:
- Iran-backed Houthis take full control of Red Sea coastline, tightening grip on crucial shipping lane (NBC News)
- US banning dairy products, most alcohol and motorcycles from Canada in growing trade war (AP)
- Shipping nations warn global trade is fracturing (Transport Topics)
- U.S. Ports Seen Heading for Busiest Month of the Year (WSJ – sub. req.d)
- Diesel prices in U.S. top $6 a gallon for first time ever (CBS News)
- Amazon projects reduced reliance on USPS, UPS for delivery (SupplyChainDive)
- Kodiak aims for late-2026 launch of long-haul driverless trucks (CCJ)
- CargoSense Acquires Adapt-IP, Adding Wireless 3D Measurement to Its Agentic Supply Chain Platform for Data Center Operations
- West Coast Truck Charging Plan Crosses Three Countries (SupplyChain247)
- U.S. House legislation targets chameleon carriers (Transport Topics)
- Descartes Announces Fiscal 2027 Second Quarter Financial Results
- The Panama Canal’s New Boss Inherits a Drought and a Bidding War for Transit Slots (WSJ – sub. req.d)
Diesel Tops $6 a Gallon in the U.S.
As reported by CBS News this morning, “The national average for a gallon of diesel rose to a record $6.05 on Friday [September 11], up more than 60% from $3.71 a year ago, according to data from AAA.”
And with NBC News reporting this morning that “Houthi rebels effectively completed their rapid push to take control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline on Friday, tightening their grip on one of the world’s most important shipping routes,” the upward pressure on fuel prices will likely continue.
According to the article, “Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, has had to rely on the Red Sea route given the disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, through which some 20 percent of the world’s oil typically passes…If the Houthis are similarly able to threaten shipping along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, it could reduce oil supplies through another key waterway and deepen the world’s energy crisis.”
This brings me back to a post I wrote this past March titled, “Diesel Prices Are Rising Again. Are Your Fuel Surcharges Ready?” I’ll just repeat what I said back then:
Many shippers may benefit from revisiting how their fuel surcharge programs are structured, standardized, and governed, particularly in this current wave of fuel price volatility. If your fuel surcharge program was “set and forgotten” a while ago, your transportation budget may be in for a rude awakening.
Of course, this may all be moot if you believe the multitude of stories this week about an AI researcher putting the odds of AI killing all humans within the next 10 years at greater than 10%.
So, let’s enjoy life while it lasts.
Have a meaningful weekend. L’shana tova.
Song of the Week: “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – America: A Tribute to Heroes
