With the first year of the second Trump administration nearing its end, the impact of key policy shifts on the freight and logistics sector is coming into sharper focus. On this episode of The Intermodal Logistics Podcast, we’re joined by Arizona State University’s Dr. Dale Rogers, a foremost supply chain thought leaders, to break down three initiatives from 2025 that are having tangible effects on North American supply chains:
Dr. Rogers highlights the unique dynamics at play in regions like California and along the U.S.–Mexico border, where a significant portion of the driver workforce may not meet the more directly enforced English proficiency standards. Combined with increased immigration-related scrutiny, these developments are compelling many drivers - including dray truckers in these particular areas - to exit the industry (or the country altogether).
He notes that this trend compounds an existing driver shortage - especially problematic considering the slow entry of younger drivers into trucking - and in turn, can add strain to freight flows in critical corridors.
Later, we dive into recent tariff decisions and their ripple effects. Dr. Rogers and InTek CEO Rick LaGore connect today’s environment to previous tariff cycles—most notably the more targeted actions of 2018–19 and, for a bit of historical flavor, the Smoot-Hawley era of the 1930s. Despite the challenges, they share reasons for optimism: as trade policies adapt (and tariffs potentially roll back either voluntarily or via Supreme Court decision), there’s real potential for new opportunities and a more resilient freight sector ahead.
See the paper Dr. Rogers co-authored on tariffs just last year, providing valuable historical context: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1478409224000037. And find out more about ASU's Supply Chain program: https://wpcarey.asu.edu/supply-chain-management-degrees.
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