In this exclusive interview, Laura DiBella, the newly confirmed Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission, outlines the agency's aggressive new approach to protecting U.S. shippers and enforcing maritime trade compliance on a global scale.

DiBella explains how the FMC is shifting from a reactive referee of commercial disputes to a proactive "consumer protection agency" with the authority to investigate global chokepoints, shadow fleets, foreign policy barriers, and domestic rail bottlenecks affecting American cargo.

Key topics covered:

• Trump's mandate to "resurrect U.S. dominance in the maritime arena"
• The FMC's expanded global enforcement powers under OSRA 2022
• Investigating chokepoints like Suez Canal and Malacca Strait
• Shadow fleet and flags of convenience investigations
• How the FMC can penalize foreign governments that block U.S. cargo
• What shippers should document and when to engage the FMC
• Detention and demurrage protections and enforcement priorities
• Rail and chassis bottlenecks in Middle America
• Why the FMC wants to act before problems escalate

Laura DiBella's background: Former Florida Secretary of Commerce under Governor Ron DeSantis, Executive Director of the Florida Harbor Pilots Association, and President & CEO of Enterprise Florida. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2025 and designated FMC Chair by President Trump on January 28, 2026.

This episode is produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group. https://dimerco.com/

If you're a freight buyer, shipper, logistics manager, or supply chain professional planning for 2026, this interview is essential listening.

Subscribe to The Freight Buyers' Club for more exclusive interviews and supply chain insights.

What should US shippers expect in 2026? This TPM 26 special covers transpacific contracting, the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern rail merger, and features an EXCLUSIVE interview with new Federal Maritime Commission Chair Laura DiBella.

Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group.

PART 1: TPM 26 PREVIEW

Mark Szakonyi (Executive Editor, Journal of Commerce) and Lori Fellmer (VP Logistics, BassTech International) break down:

- Transpacific contracting season outlook

- Demand signals and capacity challenges

- How SME shippers are treated in a bearish market

- Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger implications for IPI cargo

- OSRA 2022 effectiveness: detention & demurrage protections

PART 2: EXCLUSIVE FMC CHAIR INTERVIEW

Laura DiBella outlines her vision for the Federal Maritime Commission under Trump's maritime mandate:

- From reactive to proactive enforcement

- Global investigations: Spain, chokepoints (Suez, Malacca Strait), shadow fleets

- "We're now a consumer protection agency" - what this means for shippers

- New enforcement powers: penalties, sanctions, port denial for foreign governments

- Domestic bottlenecks: containers, rail, chassis in Middle America

- When shippers should contact the FMC

KEY QUOTES:

"Action. Always action." - Laura DiBella on what shippers should expect

"We've become more of a consumer protection agency." - On the FMC's evolving mission

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

- Laura DiBella - Chair, Federal Maritime Commission

- Mark Szakonyi - Executive Editor, Journal of Commerce

- Lori Fellmer - VP Logistics & Carrier Management, BassTech International

This episode was produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group - https://dimerco.com/.

Subscribe to the Freight Buyers' Club for weekly insights on freight buying, carrier negotiations, and supply chain strategy.

Global trade isn't ending. It's fracturing along geopolitical lines. And it's reshaping supply chains, technology systems, and the entire logistics landscape as we enter 2026.

The signals are unmistakable. Greenland threats. US-Europe tensions mounting. Trade wars escalating. This is no longer theoretical. Supply chain directors need to understand what's coming and how to prepare.

In this critical roundtable, Mike King brings together three leading voices to break down how US-China competition, tariff volatility, shifting trade blocs, and technology will reshape supply chains right now and through the year ahead.

Neil Shearing is Chief Economist at Capital Economics and author of The Fractured Age. He explains why we're not seeing deglobalization but rather a splintering of the global economy into competing US and China-led blocs. And why this matters far more than simple tariff rates.

Marc Levinson is an economic historian and author of Outside the Box. He challenges the bloc theory with real world examples of trade policy chaos. He reveals why mega-ships may become obsolete, what's really driving trade now (spoiler: AI infrastructure), and why the logistics industry's capital investments could become stranded.

Ashley Skaanild is Principal Advisor Carrier Integration and Transformation at WiseTech Global. He brings operational reality to the macro debate. Drawing on platform data from millions of shipments and a Reuters survey of 450+ supply chain leaders, he shows how companies are actually preparing and where technology sprawl is creating blind spots.

Together, they tackle the questions keeping supply chain directors awake: How do you plan supply chains when policy changes overnight? Can you build resilience without bankrupting operations? What role will technology play in the fractured landscape ahead?

Essential listening for freight buyers, logistics managers, and anyone navigating supply chains, geopolitics, and digital transformation in 2026.

Show note links:

LEANER, SMARTER, FASTER AND MORE CONNECTED: SUPPLY CHAINS EVOLVE TO MEET RISING VOLATILITY AND COST PRESSURES A Reuters Events, Supply Chain white paper in partnership with CargoWise

Download here: https://www.cargowise.com/de-de/news/the-new-supply-chain-playbook-how-leaders-are-responding-to-cost-pressure-and-volatility/

The Fractured Age: How the Return of Geopolitics Will Splinter the Global Economy, by Neil Shearing

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractured-Age-Geopolitics-Splinter-Economy/dp/1399825720

Outside the Box: How Globalization Changed from Moving Stuff to Spreading Ideas, by Marc Levinson

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outside-Box-Globalization-Changed-Spreading/dp/069119176X

#GeopoliticsTrade #Freight #Technology #LogTech #GlobalTrade #Logistics #Tariffs #2026Outlook #Wisetech #FreightBuyersClub #CapitalEconomics

00:00 – Trade Is Now a Weapon: Why Global Trade Is Fracturing
Trade policy as coercion, resilience costs, AI driving trade growth

01:00 – Welcome to 2026: Geopolitics, Trade Chaos, and Tech Strain
Greenland tariffs, fractured alliances, and why supply chains are under pressure

02:05 – Biggest Surprise of 2025: Tariffs, Allies Hit, and Tech U-Turns
Neil Shearing on Trump tariffs, China, and relaxed chip controls

04:10 – Why Policy Chaos Matters More Than Tariff Levels
Marc Levinson on volatility vs predictable trade costs

05:10 – AI Drove Half of Global Trade Growth Last Year
Why servers, chips, and AI infrastructure now shape trade flows

06:15 – Operational Reality: Red Sea, Alliances, and Schedule Reliability
Ashley Skaanild on shipping chaos and how trade adapts

08:00 – Are We De-Globalising or Splintering Into Trade Blocs?
Neil...