Is Amazon replacing the 3PL? In this episode of Air Cargo Unpacked, Mike King and co-host Neel Jones Shah dig into Amazon Supply Chain Services and what it really means for third party logistics providers, freight forwarders and the air cargo market. Is this a genuine supply chain management revolution or just a repackaging of existing services?

Also in this May episode: the Middle East capacity recovery -- Rotate's latest data on the Gulf region and what 74% recovery actually means for shippers. Neil Wilson, Editor of TAC Index and calculating agent for the Baltic Air Freight indices, unpacks the rates picture -- including the extraordinary Europe-Dubai lane, up 140% year on year as Emirates capacity collapsed. Shantanu Gangakhedkar of Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific on air cargo demand in the region and the scenarios that frame what happens next, from the Strait of Hormuz to growing e-commerce volumes. Jet fuel up almost 100% -- what the supply chain logistics implications are for carriers and shippers paying surcharges. ULD market disruption. And the FedEx MD-11 -- back in the skies despite all predictions.

Produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists. https://www.ontegos.cloud/

Co-host: Neel Jones Shah (ex-Delta, United, Flexport) Neil Wilson -- Editor, TAC Index Shantanu Gangakhedkar -- Principal Consultant and Aviation Lead, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific

Produced by Karen Ball and Tom Matthews

#airfreight #3PL #supplychain #logistics #aviation #FedEx #MD11 #straitofhormuz #supplychainmanagement #aircargounpacked

The Trump administration’s tariff programme has suffered another legal defeat. The US Court of International Trade ruled 2-1 against the 10% Section 122 global surcharge, the replacement for the IEEPA reciprocal tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court in February. So which tariffs are actually still standing, and what comes next?

Mike King is joined by Karen Kenney, founder and president of K2 Trade Solutions and Dimerco Express Group Trade Compliance Strategist, and Nancy O’Liddy, Executive Director of the National Industrial Transportation League, to map out the current tariff landscape, explain how the four remaining pillars stack, and look at what the $166 billion CAPE refund process means in practice for importers.

They also get into tariff fraud, including transshipment evasion, the growing risk of refund interception through the CAPE portal, and double-brokering in US domestic freight. Plus: diesel prices up 60% year on year, carrier surcharges, the Federal Maritime Commission’s pushback, and what the war in the Middle East actually means for shipping costs. And Nancy O’Liddy on why the NITL is calling for the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger to be denied.

A wide-ranging, practical episode for anyone managing freight costs or supply chain risk in 2026.

Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group: https://dimerco.com

Contents

0:03:00 The Section 122 ruling: another legal defeat for Trump tariffs

0:06:00 Which tariffs are actually still standing?

0:08:00 The global tariff map: what it means by country and product

0:11:00 Tariff stacking explained: how 80% ends up on a tin can

0:15:00 The $166 billion refund: how the CAPE process is working in practice

0:23:00 Transshipment fraud: the $107 billion evasion problem

0:30:00 Refund fraud and the risk building around the CAPE portal

0:34:00 Double-brokering and domestic freight fraud

0:37:00 Fuel costs: diesel up 60% and what it means for shippers

0:47:00 Rail consolidation: why NITL is calling for the UP/NS merger to be denied

Related episode

Carrier consolidation, AI & freight fraud: Gebrüder Weiss North America CEO Mark McCullough

https://youtu.be/N7kVfrHfAAo

Data and press credits

Data and graphics: TPC Tariff Rules Engine v1.6 | American Automobile Association

Press coverage cited: The Guardian | The New York Times | Dow Jones Risk Journal (Liz Young, 28 April 2026) | The Washington Post (Linda Miller, 23 April 2026) | Journal of Commerce

Research cited: Gaia Dynamics, “The Refund Trap: Why IEEPA Recovery Can Trigger Hidden Compliance Exposure”, 21 April 2026 | Altana AI, tariff evasion report, April 2026

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Website: thefreightbuyersclub.com

#TrumpTariffs #TradeWar #SupplyChain #FreightBuying #Logistics

In this clip from The Freight Buyers' Club's latest AI and logtech special, Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor at the Journal of Commerce, gives freight buyers and logistics operators a practical framework for cutting through the AI vendor noise.

He covers how he evaluates vendor claims as a journalist, why the compulsion to understand how AI works is the wrong instinct, what blockchain taught us about technology hype, and the specific questions every buyer should be putting to vendors before they commit.

#AI #Logistics #FreightTech #SupplyChain #FreightBuying #LogisticsTech #ArtificialIntelligence #FreightForwarding #FreightBuyersClub #SupplyChainTech

On April 7th this year, Anthropic released an AI model called Claude Mythos. It was so capable at finding vulnerabilities in software that the company restricted access to around fifty organisations. The US Treasury summoned the biggest banks. The Pentagon had already stepped in. The Economist called it a watershed moment.

In this episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, Mike King uses the Mythos moment as the way in to a much bigger conversation about AI and the future of logistics technology. Who controls the most powerful tools? What happens inside a company when AI actually lands? What does it mean for jobs, for compliance risk, for tribal knowledge, and for the competitive structure of the freight industry itself?

Joining Mike are:

• Zubin Appoo, CEO of WiseTech Global, the company behind CargoWise
• Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor at the Journal of Commerce, part of S&P Global
• Wolfgang Lehmacher, former Head of Supply Chain and Transport Industries at the World Economic Forum

In this episode:

• The Mythos moment and what gated AI access means for freight
• Fragmentation vs scale: the technology debate reshaping the industry
• What AI actually does inside a logistics company when it lands
• Tribal knowledge: what happens when the repetitive work disappears
• Digital twins, compliance risk and the case for optimism

00:00 - Cold Open: The Mythos Moment
00:01 - Meet the Panel
00:03 - AI as a Controlled Substance: Framing the Debate
00:04 - Eric Johnson: Manhattan Project and the Two-Tier Access Question
00:06 - Wolfgang Lehmacher: Palantir, Government Relationships and Structural Advantage
00:09 - Zubin Appoo: Where CargoWise Sits When AI Gets Gated
00:11 - Fragmentation vs Scale: The Concentration Risk Debate
00:13 - Inside the WiseTech Restructure
00:17 - Intelligent Logistics: How AI Changes What Platforms Can Do
00:20 - The Mid-Market Forwarder: Opportunity or Threat?
00:21 - Eric Johnson: Cutting Through the AI Vendor Noise
00:28 - Tribal Knowledge: What Disappears When the Repetitive Work Goes?
00:34 - Wolfgang Lehmacher: Data Sharing, Digital Twins and Resilience
00:44 - Compliance Risk: Where AI Actually Changes the Game
00:52 - Who Wins in Three Years, and Is There a Case for Optimism?

#AI #Logistics #FreightTech #SupplyChain #CargoWise #FreightBuyersClub #WiseTechGlobal #ArtificialIntelligence #FreightForwarding #SupplyChainTech

When markets break, most industries struggle.
Freight forwarders? They often make more.

In this episode of the Freight Buyers’ Club, Oliver Gritz (former CFO of DHL Express and Founder & CEO of Ontegos Cloud) explains why crisis creates opportunity in freight—and why some forwarders thrive while others fall behind.

From war-driven disruption and supply chain chaos to liquidity stress and missed revenue, we break down what’s really happening inside freight forwarding in 2026.

If you’re in freight, logistics, or global trade—this is what separates the winners from everyone else.

What you’ll learn:

• Why forwarders make more money in volatile markets
• The role of data in real-time supply chain decisions
• Where forwarders lose 3–5% of profit (and how to fix it)
• How top performers manage cash flow under pressure
• What “winning the crisis” actually looks like operationally

About the guest:
Oliver Gritz is the Founder & CEO of Ontegos Cloud and former CFO of DHL Express. With decades of experience inside global logistics, he now advises freight forwarders on profitability, data, and operational performance.

Listen / follow Freight Buyers’ Club:
Podcast: https://www.thefreightbuyersclub.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thefreightbuyersclub2866

#FreightForwarding #Logistics #SupplyChain

Gulf air cargo hubs have taken a serious hit since the Middle East war began. The world's most strategically positioned freight network is under pressure - and the industry wants to know if it comes back.

In this segment from the latest Air Cargo Unpacked, Mike King and Neel Jones Shah sit down with Ram Menen - the man who spent nearly 28 years building Emirates SkyCargo and helped make Dubai one of the great global freight hubs - to ask the question the whole industry is asking: do the Gulf hubs come back, and how long does it take?

Together they cover the hub geography, the belly cargo and passenger confidence question, how this crisis ranks against Gulf War I, 9/11, SARS and COVID, whether forwarders building alternative routes creates a permanent market shift, and why Ram believes air cargo recovers faster than ocean shipping.

Ram's verdict: Gulf War III. Temporary setback, not existential crisis.

The full episode also features exclusive air cargo rate analysis from TAC Index, calculating agent for the Baltic Exchange Baltic Air Freight Indices, plus Bachi Spiga from DHL Express Middle East and North Africa on how DHL kept every country in the region served from day two of the conflict.

Full episode: ▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/YQROEd_DSAc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5OW32v9r8ZVejCWJ5oiB8r?si=beb29a01eeaf414b Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/air-cargo-unpacked-middle-east-war-fuel-crisis-capacity/id1668766055?i=1000761786379 thefreightbuyersclub.com: https://www.thefreightbuyersclub.com/podcast/air-cargo-unpacked-middle-east-war-fuel-crisis-capacity-disruption-and-global-fallout/

Produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, freight forwarder profitability specialists: https://www.ontegos.cloud/

#AirCargo #AirFreight #MiddleEast #GulfAirCargo #Emirates #AirCargoUnpacked #FreightBuyersClub #OntegosCloud #BalticAirFreightIndex #TACIndex

The Middle East war that began on February 28th has sent shockwaves through global air cargo. Jet fuel has nearly doubled. Gulf hub capacity is still less than 60% of normal. And a fragile ceasefire has done little to restore confidence in the region's critical air corridors.

In this episode of Air Cargo Unpacked, Mike King and Neel Jones Shah are joined by air cargo legend Ram Menen, who spent nearly 28 years building Emirates SkyCargo and helped make Dubai one of the great global freight hubs. Ram gives his verdict on what this crisis means for the region, how it compares to Gulf War I, 9/11 and COVID, and whether the Gulf's geographic advantage can survive the damage.

We also have Bachi Spiga, VP Network Operations at DHL Express Middle East and North Africa, on how DHL rewired its entire regional operation to keep trade moving, and Neil Wilson and Peyton Burnett from TAC Index, calculating agent for the Baltic Air Freight Indices, on what the rate data is telling us right now. And we walk through exclusive capacity and fuel analysis from Rotate, giving a granular picture of what has actually happened to the global network since February 28th.

Produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists. https://www.ontegos.cloud/

In this episode we cover:

• Ram Menen on the history, the crisis and why he calls this a temporary setback rather than an existential threat to Gulf aviation
• Why the ceasefire changes less than you might think, and what actually needs to happen before normal returns
• Gulf recovery airport by airport, with Dubai at 54%, Doha at 50%, Bahrain and Kuwait at zero
• Global capacity shifts by trade lane, including a 28% surge on Asia-Europe as carriers bypass the Gulf
• Why jet fuel is still 70% above pre-conflict levels despite easing on ceasefire news
• Southeast Asia's fuel import dependency and why Vietnam, Hong Kong and Australia are most at risk
• How DHL rewired its Middle East network to keep trade moving
• Rate movements across the key corridors since February 28th, with Baltic Air Freight Index data from TAC Index
• The 777-200 freighter conversion approval and whether it moves the needle on the capacity crunch

Journalism featured in this episode:

• Damian Brett, Air Cargo News: "Airfreight recovery could take months after US-Iran ceasefire"
• Greg Knowler, Journal of Commerce: "Rising jet fuel costs challenging freighter viability as war enters second month"
• Eric Kulisch, FreightWaves: "FAA approves 1st Boeing 777-200 passenger-to-freighter conversion"

Data: TAC Index / Baltic Air Freight Indices. Rotate.

#AirCargo #AirFreight #MiddleEast #GulfAirCargo #FreightRates #JetFuel #SupplyChain #Logistics #FreightBuyersClub #AirCargoUnpacked #OntegosCloud #BalticAirFreightIndex #TACIndex #DHL #Emirates

The Strait of Hormuz has been closed to commercial shipping since the end of February. One month on, the world is still counting the cost. Freight rates are rising, bunkers and jet fuel are running short, and the risk of escalation into the Red Sea and beyond is growing.

In this episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, Mike King is joined by two of the most respected voices in the industry:

Lars Jensen, CEO, Vespucci Maritime

Greg Knowler, Europe Editor, Journal of Commerce

Together they cover:

✅ Is the Middle East conflict actually a global shipping crisis — or a regional one?

✅ Container shipping rates: are we heading for a Red Sea-style spike or not?

✅ Bunker fuel shortages in Asia — why availability is becoming a bigger problem than price

✅ Jet fuel shortages and the collapse of air cargo capacity through Gulf hubs

✅ The intermodal alternatives: Saudi Red Sea ports, Khorfakkan, Salalah — and their limits

✅ The danger of escalation: Houthis, Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb and the eastern Mediterranean

✅ What US importers are facing on top of the existing tariff chaos

✅ Why supply chain resilience always loses out to efficiency — and what shippers can do about it

✅ Lars Jensen's forecast for container shipping rates in the weeks ahead

Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, leading Asia-Pacific freight forwarder and logistics provider. https://dimerco.com

#MiddleEastConflict #ContainerShipping #GlobalTrade #SupplyChain #Freight #ShippingCrisis #Hormuz #AirCargo #BunkerFuel #FreightRates #SupplyChainResilience #FreightBuyersClub #LarsJensen #GregKnowler #Dimerco #OceanFreight #Logistics #Intermodal #RedSea #TradeDisruption