Logistics & Supply Chain Solutions

Berlin – November 10, 2026 -- Battery-electric tractor units can already pay back over their entire holding period under current market conditions, according to total-cost calculations by Germany's Westfalen Group. CEO Thomas Perkmann made the case at the dena congress in Berlin, arguing that the result holds only if electricity stays price-competitive with diesel.

Perkmann spoke on the panel "Fuel price crisis at the pump: increasing resilience through renewable energy". His co-panelists were Kristin Kahl of Contargo Truck Fleet, Green Party transport spokesperson Swantje Michaelsen and Argus Media market reporter Marcel Rothenstein. Axel Blume of dena moderated.

Frankfurt – November 10, 2026 -- FedEx has opened a road hub in Alzenau, Lower Franconia, with about 15,500 square meters of warehouse space and 85 new jobs, lifting its German road hub count to four.

Alzenau hub adds 32 loading doors and 50 trailer bays

The facility sits in the Süd B30 industrial area. FedEx fitted an existing property with additional sorting technology. The site will mainly handle freight and bulk consignments, and it also processes oversized items and parcels.

Alzenau lies in the Rhine-Main region, east of Frankfurt, with direct access to the A3 and A45 motorways. FedEx says the location, close to its existing sites, makes it a key node for national and international traffic.

Opening is timed to the year-end volume surge

The hub went live ahead of the year-end season, which brings higher volumes and global trading events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Cologne – November 09, 2026 -- No single risk dominates European procurement anymore: across 18 potential risks, each was named by only 14% to 21% of respondents in Inverto's Risk & Resilience Study 2026, the first year without a clear leader.

Inverto, the procurement and supply chain consulting subsidiary of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), surveyed more than 400 executives across Europe. The firm has polled managers from various industries regularly since 2010. A new whitepaper builds on the spring study and sets out responses to the overlapping risks.

Supplier failures, tariffs and cyber threats now rank as equals

Respondents see a broad set of comparable threats, including supplier failures, geopolitical tensions, trade tariffs, cybersecurity and price volatility. Inverto concludes that companies can no longer manage risks one by one and must steer a system of interdependencies.

Dubai – November 09, 2026 -- The UAE began rolling out the electronic eATA Carnet system on 9 November 2026, the first country outside Europe to do so. Dubai Chambers, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) and Dubai Customs are implementing the project jointly.

Digital declarations and QR codes replace paper carnets

The system issues and processes ATA Carnets electronically, using digital declarations, QR codes and transaction records in place of paper procedures. It is designed to speed up customs clearance, improve transparency and ease the movement of goods for international trade and events.

Wiesbaden – November 09, 2026 -- Mileage of toll-liable trucks on German federal motorways fell 1.6% in October 2026 from September on a calendar- and seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (BALM) and the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

The calendar-adjusted Truck Toll Mileage Index stood 0.5% above its level in October 2025. The index covers trucks with at least four axles.

Index arrives about one month ahead of industrial production data

Destatis says economic activity generates and requires transport services, creating a clear link between the toll mileage index and indicators of economic activity, particularly industrial production. Because the index is available roughly one month before the production index, it serves as an early indicator of economic trends. It cannot be broken down by economic sector.

Berlin – November 09, 2026 -- Handicap International (HI) has organized more than 200 transports delivering over 1,000 tonnes of relief goods in the Democratic Republic of Congo between January and September, as Ebola case numbers keep rising.

HI moves protective gear and medicines through armed-conflict zones

The organization is delivering protective equipment, medicines, isolation tents and hygiene materials to the hardest-hit areas. Many affected villages can be reached only by narrow forest tracks. Heavy rain has made some roads impassable, and numerous bridges are destroyed. Armed groups and attacks shape daily life outside the cities, and incidents and accidents on the routes are frequent.

SAN FRANCISCO – November 06, 2026 -- Forum Mobility switched on two v4 Megawatt Charging Standard (MCS) chargers at FM Harbor, its flagship electric truck depot in the Port of Long Beach, and ran the first charge sessions for a customer's production-model Tesla Semi at a ribbon-cutting on November 5.

MCS chargers recover up to 60% of range in 30 minutes

The chargers are compatible with the production Tesla Semi. Forum Mobility says a 30-minute session restores up to 60% of range, so charging does not disrupt carrier operations.

CEO and co-founder Matt LeDucq said the company can fuel with electricity 40% cheaper than diesel. He called the two units the first of 30 MW of MCS chargers due online in the coming months.

Hong Kong – November 05, 2026 -- Cainiao has opened its global warehouse network to AI and embodied intelligence partners, aiming to build what it calls the world's largest logistics real-scene training cluster, and has launched a "Global Tech in Three Days" service for hard-tech exporters.

The company has signed initial cooperation agreements with leading AI computing and embodied intelligence firms. Nearly 100 representatives from across the industry chain attended the launch event in Hong Kong.

Cainiao opens dozens of proof-of-concept scenarios across warehouse and delivery operations

The scenarios cover warehouse picking, intelligent navigation and delivery, high-altitude inspection, security operations, aviation logistics and auto parts management. Partners get a platform for joint R&D, real-machine training and business validation.

DUBLIN – November 05, 2026 -- Harsh driving events per trip vary more than fivefold across seven European capitals, from 225 per 1,000 trips in Berlin to 1,191 in Paris, according to new road safety findings from Geotab's European Urban Freight Efficiency Index. The analysis covers GPS-derived harsh acceleration, braking and cornering events from more than 130 million trips by Geotab-connected vehicles in 2025.

Madrid and Paris run at roughly one harsh event per trip

Berlin records the fewest events, followed by Dublin (315), Amsterdam (356), Rome (393) and London (462). Madrid (1,088) and Paris (1,191) sit far above the rest. The gap is 5.3 times between Berlin and Paris and 4.8 times between Berlin and Madrid.

CHICAGO – September 18, 2026 -- Hundreds of Amazon Teamsters plan to rally at Chicago City Hall on September 15 to demand passage of an ordinance banning Amazon's third-party Delivery Service Partner model, escalating a labor fight that has already produced regulatory wins in New York City.

Alderwoman Julia Ramirez introduces bill requiring direct hire of delivery workers

The Delivery Protection Act, sponsored by Alderwoman Julia Ramirez (D-12th District), would compel delivery companies operating in Chicago -- including Amazon -- to license their facilities with the city and directly employ their workforce. The measure would effectively outlaw subcontracted delivery operations within city limits.