3PL Pulse by FulfillYN

Sponsored by Danzinger & Co — the accounting firm that actually understands 3PL operations and client billing. More on them later.

New research from S&P Global dropped a bomb this week: Trump's tariffs will cost global businesses $1.2 trillion in 2025. And before you think "not my problem," here's the kicker—two-thirds of that cost is landing on consumers.

The math is brutal. S&P analyzed data from 15,000 analysts covering 9,000 companies and found that only one-third of tariff costs are being absorbed by businesses. The rest? Passed directly to you and your customers.

Meanwhile, EU exports to the U.S. are tanking: After the July tariff deal slapped 15% duties on most EU goods, exports to the U.S. dropped 26% month-over-month and 22% year-over-year in August. That's not a dip, that's a crater.

And there's more chaos coming: Trump threatened 100% tariffs on China over rare earth minerals last week (we covered that), and tensions are escalating again. The tech sector alone is losing $16 billion annually to logistics disruptions caused by geopolitical instability and trade uncertainty.

Bottom line: If you're a 3PL, your clients are feeling this squeeze. Expect more pressure on rates, more negotiation on contracts, and more questions about how to navigate tariff complexity.

Two major raises this week show investors are betting big on fixing freight's operational mess:

Alvys raises $40M Series B The TMS provider landed funding from RTP Global to build out its unified platform for carriers and brokers. Their pitch: stop forcing teams to juggle multiple systems and watch efficiency evaporate.

The results speak for themselves—customers report 25-35% reductions in touches per thousand loads and invoicing that takes 4 days instead of stretching into double digits.

Why this matters for 3PLs: If you're still making your team switch between five different systems to track inventory, process orders, and bill clients, you're bleeding money. The software to fix this is getting serious funding because the ROI is real.

Austin startup Mentium follows up We covered their $3.2M seed round last week. Add Alvys' $40M and you're seeing a pattern—investors believe the freight industry's operational inefficiency is ripe for disruption.

Remember when retailers were desperate for seasonal workers? Those days are over.

Indeed searches for holiday jobs jumped 27% from last year (and 50% above 2023), but job postings only rose 2.7%. That's way more people competing for basically the same number of positions.

The grim projections:

Amazon is the outlier: They're hiring 250,000 seasonal workers, matching last year. But even Amazon is clear-eyed about the market—the National Retail Federation expects holiday shoppers to spend 1.3% less than last year.

What this means for your warehouse: If you're planning to add seasonal staff for Q4, the good news is you'll have more applicants. The bad news is everyone else is being cautious about hiring, which suggests they're not expecting the volume surge we've seen in previous years.

In a move that sounds like sci-fi but is very real, Walmart partnered with OpenAI to let shoppers browse and buy products directly in ChatGPT.

Here's how it works: Users can shop Walmart and Sam's Club inventory by clicking a "buy" button right in the chat interface. Your existing Walmart account links automatically. No need to leave ChatGPT.

Fresh food isn't included (because you buy the same groceries weekly anyway), but everything else—apparel, entertainment, packaged food, third-party sellers—is fair game.

OpenAI already has similar deals with Etsy and Shopify. The pattern is clear: AI chat interfaces are becoming shopping platforms, not just search tools.

For 3PLs: If your clients' products are on Walmart.com, they're now also discoverable through ChatGPT. That's a new channel driving fulfillment demand, and it's only going to grow.

The Logistics Managers' Index dropped to 57.4 in September, down from 59.3 in August. That's the seventh consecutive month below the historical average of 61.5.

The concerning parts:

"The apparent stagnation in the transportation sector is likely a result of the previous pull forward and preemptive push of ordering from firms responding to tariffs earlier in the year," said Steven Carnovale from Florida Atlantic University.

Translation: Companies frontloaded inventory to beat tariffs in Q2 and Q3. Now they're sitting on stock, and freight demand is soft.

The warning: Two months of concerning LMI data, coupled with rising inventory levels and decreased holiday orders, could signal a freight recession ahead.

Warehousing is holding up: Capacity rose 1.1 points to 51.6, and utilization jumped 3.2 points to 65.3. So if you run a warehouse, you're in better shape than truckers right now.

One week away—Nashville's W Hotel hosts the industry's biggest supply chain innovation event.

Keynote speakers:

Who's attending: 50+ senior executives from Uber Freight, RXO, C.H. Robinson, Maersk, Walmart, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and more.

Awards ceremony: Recognizing innovation in AI (FedEx Supply Chain), Digital Transformation (Sysco), and Robotics (GNC), plus startup winner Dexory.

If you're serious about warehouse automation and AI implementation, this is where decisions get made. Register at NextGenSupplyChainConference.com.

Running a warehouse and fulfillment operation means managing inventory across multiple clients, tracking SKU-level costs, and dealing with seasonal volume swings. The last thing you need is an accountant who treats your 3PL like a retail business.

Danzinger & Co gets it. They specialize in accounting and bookkeeping for logistics companies—warehousing, fulfillment operations, and 3PLs. They understand client billing structures, how to account for inventory you don't own, and why your P&L looks different every month based on volume fluctuations.

Whether you need help with:

Danzinger & Co speaks your language.

Ready to work with accountants who understand 3PL warehousing? Fill out their intake form and see if they're a fit for your operation: https://form.typeform.com/to/xlfCdmK1

FulfillYN connects fast-growing brands with vetted top-tier 3PL providers worldwide (300+ warehouses). We align partners with your business needs and guide you from intro to contract.

Beyond matchmaking, FulfillYN also operates as a specialized brokerage for buying and selling 3PL businesses, helping owners maximize exit value and connecting investors with vetted acquisition opportunities.

Learn more at FulfillYN.com or reach out when you’re ready to find your ideal fulfillment match—or to explore a sale of your 3PL business.