Supply Chain Trouble

Craig Fuller, CEO at FreightWaves, the only freight-focused organization that delivers a complete and comprehensive view of the freight and logistics market. FreightWaves’ news, content, market data, insights, analytics, innovative engagement and risk management tools are unprecedented and unmatched in the industry. Prior to founding FreightWaves, Fuller was the founder and CEO of TransCard, a fleet payment processor that was sold to US Bank. He also is a trucking industry veteran, having founded and managed the Xpress Direct division of US Xpress Enterprises, the largest provider of on-demand trucking services in North America.

Fuller is saying that container shipping volumes (how much stuff is being shipped) have dropped drastically and very quickly.

• He predicts that by May, freight moving out of California ports will almost completely stop.
• “Bloodbath in dray”: “Dray” refers to drayage — the short-distance transportation of goods, especially from ports to rail yards or warehouses. A “bloodbath” means many job losses or business closures are expected here.
• Impact spreading: After drayage, the collapse will hit intermodal (freight using multiple forms of transport — ship, rail, truck), and then long-haul trucking routes, specifically I-20 and I-40, which are major east-west highways.
• Blank sailings: This means scheduled ships are not departing — often due to lack of demand.
• Comparison: In May 2020 (early in COVID), there were 51 blank sailings. Now, in April 2025, there are already over 80, which suggests this current situation is worse than during the pandemic.
• “COVID will look like good times”: This is a dramatic way of saying that the shipping crisis now could be even more economically painful than what happened during COVID-19.

In Summary:

• There’s a major freight crisis brewing, especially out of California ports.
• This could trigger a domino effect: port slowdown → local freight jobs lost → national trucking routes disrupted.
• Some experts believe this may be more severe than the economic shipping impacts seen during COVID.