AI-use disclosures are increasingly appearing in customer RFPs, vendor reviews, and contract negotiations, and suppliers that cannot explain how AI systems handle sensitive data risk delayed or lost business. A Drata survey found only 37% of IT and security professionals were highly confident they could identify AI use in vendors' products and services, while 42% had a standard process for assessing third-party AI risk. The article recommends inventorying employee and provider AI use, tracing where customer data goes, assigning an owner for consistent disclosures, training sales teams, and spelling out data handling and model-training terms in vendor contracts. Companies should maintain current records and be prepared to demonstrate that customer data can be exported or deleted.

U.S. rail carloads reached 234,826 in the week ending October 24, 2026, up 3.6% from a year earlier, while intermodal containers and trailers totaled 303,677, an 11.3% annual increase. Eight of the ten tracked carload commodity groups grew, led by metallic ores and metals, motor vehicles and parts, and petroleum products; farm products excluding grain, food, and grain declined. Through the first 42 weeks of 2026, carloads were up 2.7% year over year and intermodal units were up 4.7%.

AAPA Chairman Richard Hendrick says his priorities include retaining CEO Sang Yi, strengthening government relations, securing passage of the Water Resources Development Act, and sustaining federal Port Infrastructure Development Program funding. He argues that grants and harbor-maintenance spending are especially important for smaller ports, which cannot finance major infrastructure projects as readily as large ports. Hendrick describes dredging costs, slow permitting, construction inflation, security-grant competition, and environmentally constrained work windows as major operational challenges. He supports bipartisan permitting reform and highlights the need for reliable Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund appropriations. The Port of Albany-Rensselaer has overseen major infrastructure upgrades and received AAPA Lighthouse Awards for a classroom game designed to introduce children to maritime careers. Hendrick also stresses close coordination among ports, agencies, labor, shipping representatives, and maritime ministries.

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on October 28, 2026, directing the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate with foreign trading partners over imports of robotics, industrial machinery, and related components. The action follows a Commerce Department national security investigation and reflects concerns about U.S. reliance on imported technologies and domestic manufacturing capacity. It imposes no immediate tariffs or import restrictions, though the administration may consider further trade measures.

Schneider National and Norfolk Southern will launch an eastern U.S. domestic intermodal partnership on January 1, 2027, combining Norfolk Southern’s rail network and terminal investments with Schneider’s equipment and drayage operations. The deal replaces Schneider’s long-running eastern partnership with CSX and comes as intermodal volumes rise and the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger remains under review. Schneider sees the agreement as a way to expand customer reach and convert more truckload freight to rail; analysts note it positions Schneider to serve a potential transcontinental railroad, while cautioning that the merger is not certain. Norfolk Southern is also investing in routes, terminals and facilities across its network.

U.S. intermodal freight volumes rose 6.1% year over year in September 2026, with domestic equipment up 8.3% and international containers up 3.8%. Volumes for the first nine months increased 3.4%, although ISO containers declined 0.9%. IANA economist Andrew Sibold attributed much of intermodal’s strength to reduced trucking capacity, high diesel prices, and a rebound in West Coast imports. He expects underlying demand to remain resilient, supported by freight shifting from trucks, consumer spending, and ongoing AI-related capital investment, and sees a possible strong October and December without a typical end-of-year seasonal slowdown.

FedEx reported third-quarter revenue of $22.9 billion, up 12% year over year, operating income of $1.07 billion, up 10%, and adjusted earnings per share of $3.74, above analyst estimates. Growth came from stronger domestic package yields and volume, international exports and freight weight, and a more favorable service mix, partly offset by higher transportation and labor costs. The company raised its outlook and forecast 10% fourth-quarter revenue growth, while expecting continued growth in domestic and international markets and declines in selected economy and domestic international-volume categories. FedEx said its Network 2.0 consolidation is progressing, with nearly 65% of eligible volume using optimized stations; it expects nearly $1 billion in related savings by year-end and $2 billion cumulatively by the end of 2027. It also completed the FedEx Freight spin-off and sold FedEx Supply Chain to CMA CGM for about $1.4 billion.

The Federal Reserve held its federal funds target at 3.75%–4.00% after raising it by a quarter point in September, following a sequence of cuts that began in 2024. The FOMC said economic activity and spending remain strong while inflation is still elevated, and emphasized the need for more information before choosing its next policy move. Chair Kevin Warsh cited stronger growth and investment alongside persistent inflation. Analysts said geopolitical and energy pressures are difficult to address with interest rates, while higher borrowing costs continue to weigh on carriers, shippers and supply-chain investment. A reader survey found that 63% of logistics-sector respondents believed a rate cut would help, though dissenting votes for a hike point to the possibility that rates will remain elevated through year-end.

C.H. Robinson has introduced AI agents for ocean and air freight pricing, ocean bookings, and customs brokerage, extending its Lean AI capabilities into global forwarding. The company says its agents have generated more than 80,000 quotes for over 3,600 customers, reducing quote turnaround from days to minutes, and are beginning to manage thousands of weekly booking requests. The tools aim to improve data consistency, predictability, and responsiveness to disruptions, while helping shipments secure suitable carriers and schedules. Executives credit the company’s in-house engineering and data-science teams and its Lean operating model for building specialized agents into proprietary workflows. The rollout follows other AI initiatives for managed supply chains and trucking, where C.H. Robinson says automation has reduced manual work and missed-freight return trips.

A Gartner survey of supply chain organizations already using AI found that 47% had reduced headcount primarily because of AI over the previous two years, with an average reduction of 10.5%. Entry-level roles appear particularly exposed: 66% of surveyed leaders reported declining entry-level headcount, more than twice the share reporting reductions at other levels. Gartner analyst Tess Frenzel warned that workforce reductions may outpace efforts to redesign talent pipelines, potentially weakening organizations’ future AI capabilities. The results apply to AI-using organizations surveyed, not the entire supply chain industry.