Morning Minute | July 15, 2025

The US Postal Service has increased its rates for stamps and parcel service on an expedited timeline, a change highlighted in the article "USPS hikes parcel rates and stamps by 7%". These new prices, including a 78-cent first-class stamp and higher domestic shipping costs for Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select, were previously approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission. The Trump administration is updating its national freight strategy, focusing on emerging technology and regulatory barriers, as discussed in "Will AI rewrite America’s freight strategy?". The US DOT is seeking public input to prepare for a projected 50% increase in U.S. freight tonnage by 2050, looking for insights on diversifying global supply chains, rising energy production costs, changing urban-rural dynamics, and increasing e-commerce. June's Cass Freight Index report revealed continued pressure on freight volumes, marking 29 consecutive months of year-over-year declines for shipments, a trend extensively covered in "June produces mixed freight trends, recovery remains ‘elusive’". Although expenditures rose year-over-year, the outlook for July predicts a further 5% year-over-year decline in shipments, potentially offset by recent import increases. Finally, listeners are invited to tune into upcoming FreightWaves TV segments like Check Call and Loaded and Rolling. Nominations for the FreightTech 100 are now open, leading to the FreightTech 25 announcement at the Future of Freight Festival this fall, and other events include the Enterprise Fleet Summit and the Supply Chain AI Summit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices