The pain of uncertain global trade policies and growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in logistics were key themes at SMC3 Connections, a trucking and supply chain industry conference held in Salt Lake City this week.
The event drew nearly 500 attendees, including shippers, carriers, third-party logistics service (3PL) providers, and technology companies. The conference featured three days of networking events, presentations, and workshops on trucking, logistics, and supply chain issues, with a focus on the less-than-truckload (LTL) market.
Tariff risk remains high as companies continue to grapple with the ups and downs of the Trump administration’s trade policies. Although economists at the event said tariffs have less of an effect on LTL than other transportation markets, they said the uncertainty surrounding global trade will continue to influence the broader logistics economy in the second half of 2025. But the outcome of pending trade deals with 17 nations remains a key question mark on the horizon, according to economist Keith Prather of Armada Corporate Intelligence. He pointed to four trade deals in particular—with South Korea, Japan, India, and Vietnam—as ones to watch and that will help reset global trade.
Economist Bruce Chan of Stifel said he expects to see a relatively slow and shallow recovery in freight markets following the recent market volatility and more than two-year freight recession. Commenting on coming peak-season demand, Chan said the 90-day pause on China tariffs—which expires next month—should alleviate concerns of holiday-season stockouts and provide a near-term tailwind for domestic freight volumes.
Other speakers at the event echoed those sentiments, saying they don’t anticipate supply chain disruptions on the level of those experienced during the Covid years, despite similar levels of uncertainty across supply chains.
For example, Target Corp.’s Tim Hotze—senior vice president of operations planning, network steering, and optimization—pointed to a normalizing of inventory conditions in recent weeks, saying he expects store shelves to be adequately stocked for holiday-shopping demand later this year.
AI was the other headline at the event. Several sessions were focused solely on the topic, but it crept in to just about every conversation as technology providers, shippers, carriers, and 3PLs discussed how AI projects are streamlining workflows and helping to create more predictive supply chains. For example, Judy McReynolds, chairman and chief executive officer at transportation and logistics provider ArcBest, pointed to an AI-based route optimization project that saved the company $13 million in its city operations.
SMC3 will host its next conference, JumpStart 26, in Atlanta in January.
