IA Insights: April 27, 2026

Want these insights in your inbox each Monday? Subscribe here.
‍

Tariff Refunds, CDL Legislation and the Extension of the Jones Act Waiver

• CBP has officially launched the anticipated automated refund system as of April 20 to process billions in tariff repayments following a Supreme Court decision invalidating prior duties.
  
  
• FedEx, UPS and DHL say they will seek eligible tariff refunds from CBP and return the money to the customers or parties that originally paid the duties.
  
  
• New York is challenging DOT and FMCSA in federal court over a $73 million highway funding cutoff tied to the state’s issuance of non-domiciled CDLs.
  
  
• The White House extended a Jones Act waiver through mid-August to help move fuel, fertilizer and other energy-related commodities between U.S. ports amid supply disruptions.

War-Related Surcharges & Disruption

• UPS added a “Surge Emergency Fee” on April 19 that took effect yesterday, adding a $0.23 per-pound charge across seven UPS services. Reach out to our team to discuss how this may affect your shipments on a macro level.
  
  
• Ocean carriers are adding fuel-related surcharges as the Iran war drives up transportation costs and complicates annual contract negotiations.
  
  
• United Airlines is adding a cargo surcharge to recover rising fuel and operating costs tied to Iran war disruptions.
  
  
• Container shipping faces weaker demand, blank sailings and routing changes as prolonged Middle East disruptions raise costs and threaten manufacturing output.
  
  
• Indian ports are dealing with safety concerns as rerouted hazardous cargo containers accumulate because of restrictions and congestion at alternative Gulf ports.

Maritime & Global Trade

• Limited landside and port infrastructure investment could become a major constraint on global container shipping as vessel capacity continues to grow faster than terminal capacity.

Freight Market & Capacity

• Shippers are already seeking peak-season capacity in a tightening truckload market driven by regulatory pressure, rising fuel costs and carrier exits, with the resulting strain triggering routing guide failures, increased mini-bids and early moves to lock in capacity alongside expected contract rate increases.
  
  
• A wave of small trucking and logistics bankruptcies points to continued pressure on smaller operators facing weak demand, elevated costs and tight margins.
  
  
• Soaring truck rates are causing a sharp rise in domestic intermodal volumes as more shippers are choosing to shift more freight onto rail.

E-commerce & Returns

• Sam’s Club is expanding ultra-fast fulfillment with one-hour delivery from more than 600 stores as Walmart continues building its e-commerce capabilities.
  
  
• UPS-owned Happy Returns has expanded to 10,000 drop-off locations as UPS scales consolidated, box-free and label-free returns to improve convenience and lower reverse logistics costs.

Technology & Innovation

• Humble Robotics has raised $24 million to develop a fully electric, cabless autonomous hauler designed for dock-to-dock freight movement.
  ‍
• ‍Tesla says it will begin volume production of the Semi this year as part of a broader push into electric trucking, autonomy and manufacturing expansion.