Warehouse Wisdom, Weekly. 01/16/2026

🚚 Happy Friday.

The shipping world never misses a chance to keep things interesting. This week, the U.S. Postal Service is tightening up how it measures packages, a move that could quietly nudge shipping costs higher for businesses that haven’t been paying close attention to dimensions. At the same time, global trade watchers are keeping one eye on the Panama Canal as the country’s Supreme Court weighs a decision that could ripple through one of the most critical chokepoints in global logistics.

Beyond those headlines, this week’s news covers a lot of ground that hits close to home for small and mid-sized businesses. We’ll break down rising parcel surcharges, carrier network shakeups, ocean carriers cautiously returning to the Red Sea, growing competition for Amazon from cross-border players, AI creeping further into retail and logistics, and why small business confidence is finally showing signs of life again. Let’s dive in!

Freight & Shipping

Shipping gets pricier, leaner, and a lot more complicated

Parcel shipping continues to get sneakier with costs, as carriers lean harder into surcharges that quietly inflate rates well beyond base pricing. A growing list of add-on fees tied to delivery location, handling, and package characteristics is making it harder for SMBs to predict shipping spend without detailed invoice audits.

UPS and USPS are also tightening their partnership through expanded Ground Saver and Mail Innovations services, offering lower-cost, slower delivery options that may work for certain order profiles if expectations are managed carefully.

Finally, a House transportation and highway bill is advancing in Washington, setting the stage for future infrastructure spending that could shape freight capacity, congestion, and costs in the years ahead.

Global Logistics

Red Sea returns, rising rates, and ports betting big on the future

Maersk is cautiously returning to the Red Sea with an India–U.S. service, signaling improving confidence in regional security — though volatility is far from over. Shippers should still expect routing uncertainty and rapid changes if conditions shift.

Retail optimism is also nudging trans-Pacific container rates higher. Even modest demand improvements can move pricing quickly when capacity tightens, reminding importers that rate relief can disappear fast.

Meanwhile, ports are investing heavily for the long term. The Port of Saint John’s $247 million modernization highlights how infrastructure spending is aimed at capturing future volume, even if short-term disruptions are part of the process.

Logistics Vitals

Small business confidence finds its footing

Small business optimism is showing measurable improvement heading into 2026, according to the latest survey data. Key numbers:

• NFIB Small Business Optimism Index: 99.5, up 0.5 points month over month

• Sales expectations: Improved, contributing to the index increase

• Hiring plans: Modestly higher, signaling cautious growth rather than aggressive expansion

The takeaway: confidence is rebuilding, but SMBs remain disciplined, with cost control and predictability still top of mind.

Online Marketplaces

Amazon feels the heat as new rivals and new formats emerge

Temu continues to challenge Amazon’s dominance in cross-border e-commerce by leaning hard into aggressive pricing and international fulfillment, forcing sellers to reassess marketplace diversification strategies.

That pressure may be showing up in the data. Amazon seller registrations hit a decade low in 2025, signaling fatigue with fees, competition, and complexity.

Amazon isn’t standing still, though. The company is experimenting with a new big-box retail concept designed to compete more directly with Walmart, reinforcing its push toward a deeper omnichannel presence. Links:

Warehouse Tech & Retail Tech

AI and tech everywhere - from the checkout to the sky

Quarterly online sales data shows steady growth across channels, with retailers increasingly relying on technology to protect margins rather than chase pure volume.

Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol, now partnered with Wayfair, aims to standardize product data across platforms, making AI-driven shopping more seamless and accurate. Google is betting big that AI will reshape how consumers discover and buy products.

On the fulfillment side, Amazon has begun drone delivery tests in the UK, signaling continued investment in automation. And Alibaba is also enhancing its consumer AI app with agentic capabilities and integrated payments, further blending commerce, logistics, and financial services.

Warehouse Quick Deliveries

USPS tightens data access while Penske leans further into AI

• USPS tightens package tracking data access heading into 2026

• Penske Logistics deploys AI to improve freight decision-making