Our guest on this week's episode is Ian Arroyo, chief strategy officer at Freightos. Ships crossing the Red Sea are under constant threat of attacks by militant groups responding to the Israeli-Hamas conflict. The situation is constraining global trade and causing many shipping lines to bypass the Suez Canal and instead sail around Africa to reach Europe and North American destinations, resulting in huge increases in costs for shippers.

Trucker Path, a developer of mobile apps and services for the trucking industry, released their annual list of the Top 100 Truck Stops in the U.S. – a guide to the top places for drivers to stop and eat, rest, and fuel up as they travel the nation’s highways. See which truck stop tops the list.

Many trucking firms and logistics operations are not happy after the U.S. Labor Department has released new rules defining independent contractors that could affect how drivers and others are classified. The new rules may require many of these workers to be classified as employees. But the rules are not very clear in what tests companies should use to make the correct classifications. Courts may have to eventually settle the issue.

CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane. It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes.

Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

Podcast is sponsored by: Aptean

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Guest: Ian Arroyo of Freightos on Red Sea shipping attacks; The best truck stops; New independent contractor rules