Wakool Weekly News

The July 4, 2025 Texas Hill Country floods—the deadliest U.S. inland flood since 1976—killed 135 people and inflicted an estimated $22 billion in losses, exposing critical weak points in America’s freight network. A 26-foot surge on the Guadalupe River washed out key highway arteries I-35 and I-45, forced 400-plus flight cancellations at Dallas–Fort Worth International, and stalled Amazon and parcel hubs across the Southwest.

Between June 24 and July 3, 2025, global logistics entered a new phase of “permanent volatility.” With President Trump holding firm on the July 9 tariff deadline, Vietnam clinched a last-minute exemption while Europe and Japan scramble to avoid 25–50 percent duties. Trans-Pacific spot rates whipsawed as shippers front-loaded cargo, port strikes in Sweden pushed global on-time arrivals below 60 percent, and congestion fees soared.

In the final week of June, global logistics was hit by a triple shock: trans-Pacific spot rates fell more than 20 %, China-Europe trains hit the 110,000-service milestone, and MSC moved to acquire Romania’s Mangalia yard to lock in European shipbuilding capacity. With global port congestion touching 96 % and U.S.–China tariffs frozen at a steep 55 %, the industry now faces a “high-cost, highly diversified” supply-chain era for the rest of 2025.

Geneva talks deliver a 90-day tariff truce—US duties on Chinese imports fall from 145% to 30%, China’s from 125% to 10%, and most surcharges are suspended. Logistics providers now have a brief window to clear backlogs and optimize routes before uncertainty returns. As carriers recalibrate—Maersk cuts volume forecasts, DHL snaps up U.S. warehouse space, UPS scales back Amazon hubs, and forwarders scout new lanes—the 90-day truce offers only a fleeting respite.

Discover how the global shipping industry is boosting supply chain resilience amid geopolitical uncertainties and a surge in returns, presen