The global logistics environment entering Q4 2025 is defined by capacity fluidity and economic unpredictability. Shippers require more than simple brokerage; they need integrated intelligence and proven technology to secure both cost savings and supply chain resilience.
At Taylor, we leverage our 175-year operating history and full-service capabilities encompassing freight, warehousing, and fulfillment to provide a unified solution. Our commitment is to deliver factual results, driven by industry-leading technology.
Market Conditions: Predictable Beats Volatile
Freight activity across North America has normalized. According to ACT Research, equipment orders and freight volumes have leveled off after several quarters of fluctuation. U.S. GDP growth remains moderate, inflation continues to cool, and diesel pricing has settled within a narrow range since mid-summer.
For shippers, this mix means stability. Contracts signed in Q4 are likely to hold steady through early 2026, and rate swings have narrowed. The focus now is on securing capacity at consistent pricing and ensuring that transportation decisions align with real inventory demand.
From Taylor’s network perspective, we’ve seen more customers shifting to multi-lane agreements, blending spot and contract coverage for balance and flexibility. It’s a sign that the market’s next evolution will favor operational control rather than reaction.
Ocean Freight: Rates Hold, Reliability Improves
Ocean shipping remains in a buyer’s market. The Drewry World Container Index recently averaged around $1,669 per 40-foot container, down more than 50 percent from a year ago. While these levels create margin pressure for carriers, they open strategic opportunities for shippers.
Global capacity continues to grow as new vessels enter the fleet, leading carriers to blank sailings to maintain rate floors. But even with cancellations, service reliability has improved compared with the disruptions of 2022 and 2023. Transit times are more predictable, and port congestion has largely cleared.
At Taylor, we’ve used this environment to help customers diversify routing, splitting freight between ports, managing transload at inland hubs, and building elasticity between ocean and domestic modes. These adjustments not only reduce total cost but also strengthen resilience when demand rebounds.
Trucking and Intermodal: Finding Its Floor
Truckload and intermodal markets are also showing signs of balance. Spot rates have hovered near $1.60 per mile for dry van and $1.80 for refrigerated freight through much of Q3 and early Q4, indicating that pricing has found its footing.
Equipment availability has improved, and carrier service levels remain stable. ACT Research reports that Class 8 truck production has tapered off roughly 25 percent from the first half of the year, aligning manufacturing more closely with actual freight demand. Driver turnover has stabilized, and data-driven routing tools are enabling carriers to make more effective use of available miles.
Across Taylor’s brokerage operations, we’ve seen a marked increase in on-time performance and fewer urgent re-tenders compared with 2023. The shift from firefighting to fine-tuning is noticeable and healthy for both shippers and carriers.
Cross-Border and Regional Momentum
Cross-border freight remains one of the more consistent growth stories. Infrastructure investments in Texas, Arizona, and Ontario have improved throughput at major U.S.–Mexico and U.S.–Canada crossings. Near-shoring continues to reshape import patterns, pushing more freight onto northbound lanes from Mexico.
Taylor’s brokerage and warehousing network has adapted by coordinating inland transload and customs processes that keep freight moving fluidly across these evolving lanes. The result: faster cycle times and fewer dwell delays at the border.
Warehousing and Network Planning
Warehousing demand has remained steady, especially for food and consumer goods. Many shippers are continuing to distribute inventory closer to end markets — a trend that emerged during the pandemic and has now become a standard practice.
Taylor’s facilities have consistently demonstrated a preference for flexible, multi-client spaces paired with real-time visibility through our WMS integrations. Customers are focusing less on square footage and more on data, understanding inventory turns, dwell time, and fulfillment speed in greater detail.
The Takeaway: Efficiency is the Advantage
The final quarter of 2025 marks a rare moment in logistics, characterized by available capacity, stable rates, and clearer planning visibility. The question is how shippers use it.
Those who refine processes now, synchronizing transportation with warehouse operations, integrating data systems, and aligning with trusted 3PL partners, will enter 2026 with a stronger cost position and a more reliable network.
At Taylor, we see Q4 not as a slowdown, but as an opportunity to reset. Freight has found its rhythm again, and the companies that optimize in balance will move ahead when the cycle turns upward.
