Guest: Mark Baxa of CSCMP on the legacy of FedEx founder Fred Smith; The continuing debate on autonomous vehicles; Supply chains grapple with geopolitical uncertainty

Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY
Guest: Mark Baxa of CSCMP on the legacy of FedEx founder Fred Smith; The continuing debate on autonomous vehicles; Supply chains grapple with geopolitical uncertainty
Jun 27, 2025 Season 6 Episode 26
AGiLE Business Media

Our guest on this week's episode is Mark Baxa, president & CEO of The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, also known as CSCMP. Earlier this week the supply chain industry lost an icon. Fred Smith was the founder of FedEx – a company that has literally revolutionized the delivery business. Our guest discusses how Fred Smith’s vision and business savvy has left lasting impacts on the supply chain industry.  

Autonomous vehicles continue to see wider adoption while fostering more debates on their safety. Most uses are for robotaxis, with some limited applications for hauling freight. However, this week we saw a rally by Teamsters Union members who lobbied legislators in Massachusetts to pass a state law to require human drivers inside these vehicles. That was a reaction to plans by Waymo — the self-driving car company that is a unit of Google’s parent company Alphabet — to start deploying its cars in Massachusetts. 

Senior Editor Victoria Kickham was in Salt Lake City this week at the SMC3 Connections conference. That’s a trucking and supply chain event that takes place each year and draws a crowd of about 500. The conference covered a range of issues, but she says two things really stood out - tariffs/trade and AI. She dives into these two topics in her report.


Supply Chain Xchange  also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.  It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. All episodes are available to stream now. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes. The podcast is also available at www.thescxchange.com.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

Podcast is sponsored by: Zebra Robotics Automation

Other links

Episode Artwork Guest: Mark Baxa of CSCMP on the legacy of FedEx founder Fred Smith; The continuing debate on autonomous vehicles; Supply chains grapple with geopolitical uncertainty 21:03 Episode Artwork Jorge Gonzalez Henrichsen of the Nearshore Company on USMCA's future; Ensuring safety in the skies; Integrating technologies at our ports 21:25 Episode Artwork Guest: Brett Wood of ITA and Toyota on National Forklift Safety Day; When it comes to hiring drivers - act fast!; Manufacturing with AI and automation 23:21 Episode Artwork Guest: Michael Needham of Efficio on restoring pharmaceutical manufacturing to the U.S.; The latest LMI measure on the health of the industry; How safety programs are lowering injuries but seeing higher costs 16:55 Episode Artwork Guest: Ian Williams of Orkin on how to think like a mouse; Global exporters chime in on tariffs; New rules for forklifts in California 25:30 Episode Artwork Guest: John Lash of e2open on Chinese tariff pause; How shippers are planning their next 90 days; Remote job opportunities in logistics 20:18 Episode Artwork Guest: Hamilton Galloway of Oxford Economics on the economic impacts of the forklift industry; How AI is helping logistics employees; Supply chain optimization see higher adoption rates 21:12 Episode Artwork Guest: Keith Peterson of the National Motor Freight Traffic Association on new freight classifications; The downsides of stockpiling inventories; Small businesses are bucking the odds 18:50 Episode Artwork Guest: Ram Ben Tzion of Publican on the end to the De Mimimus exemption; Freight fraud is on the rise; New requirements for truckers 18:51 Episode Artwork Guest: Matthew Haber of Cofactr on how tariffs will affect manufacturers; The case for being resilient; New charges to be imposed on Chinese vessels 19:07 Episode Artwork Guest: Ken Ramoutar of Lucas Systems on how technology can help with warehouse challenges; How tariffs affect consumer spending; Pay bumps in logistics 18:21 Episode Artwork Guest: Will Eadie on the state of the manufacturing workforce; Safety first in the warehouse; A different approach to AI 20:42 Episode Artwork Guest: Dr. Robert Sroufe of Chatham University on the future of sustainable supply chains; The industry reacts to the new tariffs; the latest Logitics Managers' Index 23:37 Episode Artwork Guest: Danny Ramon of Overhaul on the rise of cargo theft; The growing use of in-cab video; Prioritizing supply chain resilience 17:51 Episode Artwork Guest: Andrei Quinn-Barabanov of Moody’s on supply chains five years after Covid hit us; Integrating diverse automation; New battery charging and energy solutions 25:43 Episode Artwork Guest: Erin Mittlestaedt, CEO of the FruitGuys, discusses the impact of tariffs on America's farmers; Global trade growth expected to slow; Chief supply chain officers are not prepared for tariff impacts 17:30 Episode Artwork Guest: Rosemary Coates of the Reshoring Institute on whether trade wars will lead to reshoring manufacturing; a week of roller coaster tariffs; The health of the supply chain industry 25:21 Episode Artwork Guest: Brian Lynch of EY Americas on what the ports labor settlement means for shippers; Automation moves from hype to center stage; Jobs with the highest risks of injuries 19:50 Episode Artwork Guest: Matt Wicks of Zebra Technology on the increased use of warehouse robotics; Trends in electric trucks; Dissecting the latest holiday returns season 20:14 Episode Artwork Guest: Jay Rogers of Haddy on digital manufacturing; Changes in warehouse rents; The biggest traffic bottlenecks for logistics 23:49 Episode Artwork Guest: Maggie Barnett of LVK on managing supply chains with on-again off-again tariffs; The logistics economy picks up speed; The challenges of applying Generative AI 17:24 Episode Artwork Guest: Kathy Fulton of ALAN on LA wildfire relief; More manufacturing on the way; New freight classifications 25:41 Episode Artwork Guest: Kristen Purvis of ePost Global on smart returns management; Dealing with global trade complexities; The new administration fills supply chain oversight roles 20:00 Episode Artwork Guest: Zac Rogers of Colorado State University on supply chains in 2025; What ports want from the new administration; Cutting corners on the job 23:49 Episode Artwork Guest: Ian Wilson of Everstream Analytics on what the dockworker labor settlement means for shippers; New trends in artificial intelligence and data science; The difficulty in finding warehouse space 21:48