Shipper Strategy
Procurement, routing, service, risk, and transportation strategy for shippers.
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Freight Inflation Is Splitting by Mode—Why Shippers Need to Recheck Their Transportation Budgets
U.S. freight inflation is not moving in one direction at one speed. New federal data show that truck and water transportation producer prices increased 19.3% over the past year, while…
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$166 Billion in Tariffs Assessed—What Importers Must Verify Before Counting Refunds as Cash
An expected tariff refund can influence an importer’s next inventory order, transportation commitment or financing decision. But a claim that has entered a government processing system is not the same…
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FMCSA Doubled Emergency HOS Relief to 30 Days—That Does Not Make Every Disaster Load Exempt
FMCSA doubled the automatic regional-emergency HOS window from 14 days to 30. The change does not exempt every disaster-area load. FIR’s six-field test shows what shippers should document before relying…
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Samsung’s $186 Million Freight Dispute: Who Funds Cargo Release?
Samsung’s complaint and CMA CGM’s response put inland responsibility, rail-storage payment and shipment evidence at the center of a consequential freight dispute.
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FMCSA Lets Driverless Trucks Replace Roadside Triangles—What Shippers Must Verify Before Tender
FMCSA’s five-year exemption lets qualifying Level 4 carriers use cab-mounted warning beacons instead of roadside triangles. Shippers still need to verify lane eligibility, cargo recovery, contract responsibility and performance evidence.
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The 2027 Freight Plan Starts Now: Protect Service, Challenge Cost and Preserve Options
A year-end planning guide for supply-chain and transportation leaders: defend the budget, secure the deliveries that matter and build a network that can adapt through 2027. By Eric Bratton, Founder…
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Intermodal Shipping: A Shipper’s Guide to Lower Delivered Cost and Reliable Service
A shipper’s quick reference to intermodal lane selection, delivered-cost savings, pricing negotiations and reliable service—from individual loads to enterprise transportation networks.
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Freight Consolidation: What Could Shippers Gain—and Give Up?
The proposed C.H. Robinson–RXO combination raises a practical question: what can scale improve, and what might fewer independent options cost? FIR weighs both sides and outlines how shippers, brokers and…
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Q4 Freight Demand Is Splitting by Industry—Higher Shipment Dollars Don’t Guarantee More Loads
Updated industry shipment totals reveal an uneven freight picture. FIR separates dollar growth from physical production and identifies the signals that should guide Q4 capacity commitments.