Guest: Chris Jamroz on the LTL market; Forecasts for holiday shopping; Supply chain threats in the New Year

Our guest on this week's episode is Chris Jamroz, CEO at Roadrunner. It is no secret that the trucking industry has had a challenging couple of years. In addition to economic factors, like higher interest rates and inflation, truckers have also had to face too much capacity in the market and disruptions from several natural disasters. How has the less-than-truckload market weathered these storms and what are prospects for 2025? Our guest shares his insights.Businesses are cautiously optimistic as peak holiday shipping season draws near, with many anticipating year-over-year sales increases despite continuing to battle challenging supply chain conditions. That’s according a report from DHL Express U.S. released this week; it’s DHL’s 2024 Peak Season Shipping Survey. The company surveyed small and medium-sized businesses to gauge their holiday business outlook compared to last year and found that a mix of optimism and “strategic caution” prevail ahead of this year’s peak.It seems like there’s always a new supply chain disruption right around the corner.  This week a new report from trucking and logistics provider Averitt predicted the first month of 2025 could have more turmoil than usual. The Averitt report tracked three potential supply chain hurdles as we head into 2025: the disruptions caused by Chinese New Year (CNY), the looming threat of potential tariffs on foreign-made products that could be imposed by the incoming Trump Administration, and the unresolved contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX).Supply Chain Xchange  also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.  It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. A series of ten episodes is now available on the "State of Logistics." The episodes provide in-depth looks into the current states of key transportation modes, such as trucking, rail, air, and ocean. It also looks at inventory management, 3PLs and more.  All ten episodes are available to stream now. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes. The podcast is also available at www.thescxchange.com.Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:Roadrunner FreightReport shows SMEs are hopeful ahead of holiday peakAveritt tracks three hurdles for international trade in 2025Get episode transcriptsVisit Supply Chain XchangeListen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcastSend feedback about this podcast to [email protected] is sponsored by: Werner Premium ServicesOther linksAbout DC VELOCITYSubscribe to DC VELOCITYSign up for our FREE newslettersAdvertise with DC VELOCITYTop 10 Supply <