Above the Fold: Supply Chain Logistics News (September 25, 2026)

By Adrian Gonzalez

Weather is always the wildcard.

A nor’easter is heading our way, bringing several inches of rain and 50+ mph wind gusts through Monday.

What’s it like cycling in those conditions?

I don’t want to know — and I won’t find out, because the storm has cancelled the Breakthrough T1D Ride in Cape Cod this weekend. It’s a real bummer because doing the ride with a large community of T1D riders and supporters is always such a fun and inspirational experience.

The storm, however, hasn’t cancelled my drive to help find a cure for type 1 diabetes.

That’s why my wife and I will still cycle 100 miles, just the two of us, on October 11 (assuming another nor’easter doesn’t come our way). And the fundraising will continue too. The money we raise funds important research that helps make everyday life with T1D better while driving toward cures.

So, while it storms outside this weekend, I’ll be in the basement riding on my trainer, cycling on virtual roads. It sometimes rains on these Zwift courses, but you don’t get wet and the roads don’t get slippery. There are even virtual people on the side of the road cheering you on.

But it ain’t like the real thing, and that’s a bummer too.

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Moving on, here is the supply chain and logistics news that caught my attention this week:

Drone Delivery: Still in the Waiting Room

Figuratively speaking, you can probably count on one hand the number of people who have had something delivered by drone. It’s a niche delivery mode, and likely will remain one for the foreseeable future. But that’s not stopping retailers and others from continuing to roll out drone delivery.

The latest example is Lowe’s, which announced this week the launch of drone delivery at a store in Matthews, N.C. According to the press release:

The launch builds on Wing and DoorDash’s existing drone delivery operations in the Charlotte area, adding Lowe’s to the growing list of brands now available for delivery via drone.

The initial pilot spans a curated list of eligible products, including hand tools and paint products, plus everyday household items such as soap, tape, all-purpose cleaner and batteries – products that are easily forgotten yet critical to finishing any home improvement task.

The press release notes that “Wing drones currently transport orders weighing approximately 2.5 pounds per flight” — so forget about having a can of paint delivered via drone.

What the press release doesn’t mention is how much these deliveries will cost (hint: a lot compared to the cost of the items being delivered). As I wrote a couple of years ago in “How Much Would You Pay For Drone Delivery?”:

A lot of progress has certainly been made over the past decade with drone delivery, but if we are witnessing the birth of a new transportation mode, grab some coffee and something to eat because considering the current costs involved (and other technological, regulatory, and societal hurdles remaining), we’re going to be in the waiting room for a while longer.

Two years later, we’re still in the waiting room.

Simply put, while the journey toward making drone delivery ubiquitous continues, so does the journey toward making it economically feasible.

And with that, it’s time to batten down the hatches. Have a meaningful weekend.

Song of the Week: “Sometimes” by James