Month in Review – February 2026

Maritime

February 3: Maersk-Hapag Alliance to Send Ships Through Red Sea with Naval Assistance – The Maritime Executive

The alliance between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will start for the first time to send vessels through the Red Sea as part of its gradual return to the shipping routes. The carriers, however, emphasized their focus on safety, noting that “All transits will be secured by naval assistance.”

The Gemini Cooperation, launched by the two carriers a year ago, has yet to send vessels through the Suez Canal–Red Sea corridor, although Maersk had begun trips through the region on some of its independently operated routes. Starting in mid-February, they report that the alliance’s route that connects India to the Middle East and the Mediterranean will switch to the Suez Canal.

The Gemini Cooperation said it is planning to send two other services, routes between Asia, the Adriatic ports and Turkey, through the Red Sea and Suez Canal at “a later stage.” It said no further changes, however, are “foreseen at this stage.”

The naval assistance will come as the EU NAVFOR Operation Aspides marks its second anniversary. The European Union launched it as a defensive effort to protect vessels in the Red Sea against the Houthis’ attacks.

February 8: U.S. Will Stick with the IMO, But Aims to Defeat the Net Zero Framework – The Maritime Executive

The United States appears committed to staying with the International Maritime Organization and attempting to win arguments on the inside, in contrast to its decision to withdraw entirely from some other international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, that it considers lost causes.

This was apparent from the attendance last week of Marco Sylvester, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs, at the 16th Annual Capital Link Greek Shipping Forum held in Athens, and his participation in a Ministerial Roundtable on February 5. But he also warned that the future of the IMO was threatened if IMO Council decisions were adopted without “explicit acceptance,” the IMO’s procedure for only adopting proposals with a clear majority.

The focus of attention at the meeting in Athens was on how to proceed after the IMO’s draft Net Zero Framework (NZF) failed to secure the necessary support for adoption, with members voting instead for an adjournment to rework the framework and present it afresh. The IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee will consider how to proceed once again at its MEPC 84 session scheduled for April 2026.

February 9: U.S. Urges U.S.-Flagged Ships to Stay ‘as Far as Possible’ from Iran’s Waters in Strait of Hormuz – CNBC

U.S.-flagged ships have been advised to stay “as far as possible” from Iranian waters when navigating the Strait of Hormuz as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain elevated.

In a notice issued on February 9, the U.S. Maritime Administration said ship captains should decline permission for Iranian forces to board U.S. vessels.

Boarding attempts, including moves to force commercial vessels into Iranian waters through small boats and helicopters, have occurred as recently as February 3, the agency under the Department of Transportation said.

The advisory recommended that ships transiting eastbound in the Strait of Hormuz stay close to the Omani side of the waterway.

February 9: Copper Redhorse Habitat: Environmental Groups Sue to Stop Montreal Port Expansion – CityNews Montreal

Legal proceedings were officially launched on February 6 against the federal government for issuing a permit allowing the Port of Montreal to proceed with expansion work in the habitat of the copper redhorse, an endangered species.

The Society for Nature and Parks (SNAP Québec) and the Quebec Environmental Law Centre (CQDE) have officially filed a lawsuit in Federal Court against Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson.

The lawsuit alleges that this authorization is unreasonable and contrary to the provisions of the Species at Risk Act.

February 16: Hapag-Lloyd Buying Zim for $4.2 Billion – American Shipper

In a merger of two of the world’s largest container shipping lines, Hapag-Lloyd of Germany will acquire Israel’s Zim Integrated Shipping Services for $4.2 billion. Zim confirmed the news in an announcement on February 16.

Zim said the sale is structured so that a new Israel-based company, New ZIM, will acquire a portion of its business. Zim did not provide further details. But the new company, financed by an Israeli private equity investor, ensures state control of the carrier’s owned vessels, for security purposes.

Hapag-Lloyd is one-third owned by state funds of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The deal, which requires approval by Zim shareholders and regulators, is expected to close in late 2026.

February 16: Israeli Opposition Emerges as Hapag-Lloyd Signs Deal to Acquire Zim – The Maritime Executive

Hapag-Lloyd officially signed the agreement to acquire Zim and sell its domestic operations to FIMI, an Israeli private equity company, while extolling the benefits of consolidation for customers and shareholders. However, with Zim viewed as a national asset, opposing voices quickly emerged to the deal, including from the workers committee representing the approximately 1,000 Zim employees in Israel.

“Zim is an excellent partner for Hapag-Lloyd,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd. “Customers will benefit from a significantly strengthened network on the Transpacific, Intra Asia, Atlantic, Latin America, and East Mediterranean.”

The head of the workers’ committee, Oren Caspi, emerged from a meeting with the company on February 15, immediately announcing a warning strike. The committee had been a vocal opponent of the sale, and Caspi told the media outlet Globes the board was “ignoring and evading us for two weeks.” He said talks had broken down with the company, and the headquarters employees would strike.

The Histadrut (General Federation of Labour in Israel) also told Globes it was backing the workers’ committee. “Zim is not just another company in Israel. It is a strategic asset of the State of Israel, representing a critical link in national security, in the stability of supply, and in the ability to maintain trade by sea even in emergencies. Any harm to the stability of the company or to its employees means harm to the national interest of the State of Israel.”

February 24: Gemini Shines as Container Line Punctuality Plummets in 2026 – Seatrade Maritime News

Just as this year’s Pacific contract season is set to begin in earnest, shippers who have historically accused container lines of over promising, over charging and under delivering, have acquired better tools to measure carrier performance.

Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk created the Gemini Cooperation in February last year with the aim of changing that view by raising on-time deliveries substantially, which they have achieved, but Gemini has largely failed to manage the 90% on-time deliveries it promised last year.

Improving on their competitors’ performances has not been a major challenge. Xeneta’s latest data reveals that global carrier punctuality has declined markedly, to 30% in January, down from 36% in Q2 and 37% in Q3 of last year.

Destine Ozuygur, senior market analyst at Xeneta, gave some perspective: “Gemini at their ‘worst’ in Q1 [2026] is still 39 points above the next best alliance group in terms of on-time performance; non-alliance services are coming in at 27% on time. At no point in the past 12 months has this gap been narrower than 36 percentage points at a minimum.”

February 24: Zim Employees Return to Work as Union Reports Tentative Agreements – The Maritime Executive

The union representing Zim’s Israeli workers has reportedly reached terms on a tentative agreement regarding employment, severance payments and compensation in the company’s merger with Hapag-Lloyd, after staging a strike that stopped port activity and work at the company’s headquarters. The union said a tentative agreement would be finalized between Zim CEO Eli Glickman and Hapag-Lloyd, and according to the news outlet Calcalist, the union has total trust in Eli Glickman to honour the agreement.

Employees began returning to work on February 24 in Israel, and the report says Glickman was to finalize the agreements with Hapag-Lloyd on February 25.

This removes one key sticking point in the lead-up to the completion of the merger agreement. However, as reported in the Israeli media, concerns are being raised about maintaining Zim as a national symbol and its ability to meet the terms of the Golden Share provided to the government. Zim has been viewed as a national asset critical to maintaining supplies during a time of war and for Israel’s survival.

February 25: ONE Announces CEO Succession Plan – American Journal of Transportation

Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (ONE) has announced planned leadership transitions, which will be effective in the coming weeks.

Till Ole Barrelet will join ONE on May 1 as Chief Executive Officer-Designate. He will succeed Jeremy Nixon as CEO on July 1, at which point Jeremy will transition to the role of Senior Advisor.

Till brings over 20 years of maritime and logistics experience to the role, most recently serving as CEO of Emirates Shipping Line (ESL). He has deep expertise in ship owning, financing, container shipping, trade development across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

To better position ONE for its next phase of growth, ONE will transition to a new Executive Management Team structure comprising the CEO and seven representatives from across all divisions. The new Executive Management Team, together with a further six regional leaders, will report into the CEO. This expanded leadership structure will facilitate closer collaboration across a global matrix structure at ONE.

February 28: Iran Radio Broadcast Bans Hormuz Strait Transits After U.S.-Israel Strikes – gCaptain

Oil and gas tankers are increasingly avoiding the Hormuz shipping strait that links the oil-rich Persian Gulf to the open seas after the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran, with a large number of vessels holding outside of the waterway while some already transiting have turned back.

Ships reported hearing a radio broadcast purporting to come from the Iranian navy announcing that transit through the Strait of Hormuz was banned, and while there hasn’t been any official communication from Iran on the status of the waterway, most shipowners are taking a cautious approach. The U.S. earlier issued a warning to shipping in the Middle East that vessels in the region should stay 30 nautical miles away from its military assets.

February 28: Houthis Signal Renewed Red Sea Shipping Attacks After U.S.–Israeli Strikes on Iran – gCaptain

The maritime security environment in the Middle East deteriorated sharply on February 28 following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, with Yemen’s Houthi movement signalling that it intends to resume attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Red Sea after a pause of several months.

Two senior Houthi officials, speaking anonymously to international media because there was no formal public communique at the time of reporting, said the group had decided to restart missile and drone operations against maritime traffic in response to the U.S.–Israeli military action against Iran. The officials indicated that renewed attacks could begin imminently and would target shipping routes previously struck during the group’s 2024–2025 campaign in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

 

 

Air

February 5: Airfreight Options Narrow in 2026 as Supply Chain Volatility Reshapes Global Lanes – Air Cargo News

Shippers have less airfreight shipping choices in 2026 following a year of global supply chain disruption, according to Rhenus Logistics.

The company said that, after a volatile 2025 marked by geopolitical tension, policy shifts and uneven demand, service options are becoming more standardized, reducing flexibility for shippers, despite capacity increases.

Rhenus said that “capacity remains available but (is) increasingly lane-specific, particularly across trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic routes affected by tariff uncertainty and regulation change.”

The company said that, in contrast to trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic activity, there are now more options for goods being moved within Asia Pacific.

February 9: Cuba Warns Airlines It Will Run Out of Jet Fuel – American Journal of Transportation

Cuba warned international airlines that jet fuel will no longer be available on the island beginning on February 9 in the latest sign of fast-worsening conditions as the United States moves to cut off the communist-run nation’s oil supply.

The shortfall is set to last from February 10 through March 11, according to a Notice to Aviation (NOTAM) published late on February 8, and comes just two days after top officials said air travel would not be impacted by a fuel rationing plan announced on February 6.

Cuba has historically relied on Venezuela to provide much of its jet fuel, but the Caribbean island nation has not received any crude or refined products from its top ally since mid-December, when the U.S. moved to block the South American nation’s exports.

U.S. president Donald Trump has since vowed Cuba would receive no more oil from Venezuela and has threatened to slap tariffs on any nation sending fuel to Cuba, effectively cutting off the island’s supply of aviation gas.

Such shortfalls are not new to Cuba and many airlines already have plans in place to deal with them. A similar crisis last year, as well as others recently, have prompted many carriers to refuel in nearby third countries, including Panama, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and the United States.

February 28: Airspace Closed, Airlines Halt Flights as U.S., Israel Attack, Iran Responds – Al Jazeera

A wave of American and Israeli strikes on Iran, and retaliation by Tehran on targets across the region have forced much of the Middle East’s airspace to shut down, with reverberations across the globe.

At least eight states declared their airspace closed as the conflict erupted on February 28, including Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Syria also announced it had closed part of its airspace in the south along its border with Israel for 12 hours.

The closures came after the U.S. and Israel carried out attacks across Iran that U.S. President Donald Trump pledged would raze Iran’s missile industry and destroy its navy. Iran, which had been engaged in negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear program right up until the attack, pledged a harsh response and soon began waging retaliatory strikes in Israel, as well as several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. military assets, including Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain.

“All American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become a legitimate target,” a senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera. “There are no red lines after this aggression, and everything is possible.”

The Middle East has become an important route for flights between Europe and Asia, as Russian and Ukrainian airspace is closed to most airlines due to the war there.

 

 

Trucking

February 4: FMCSA Designates English Proficiency ‘Safe Zones’ – FreightWaves

The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released new guidance defining the boundaries of where truck drivers are effectively immune from being placed out of service (OOS) for failing to speak English.

Last year, the Trump administration initiated strict, national enforcement of English language proficiency (ELP) by requiring that such violations result in truckers being designated OOS and being taken off the road.

But FMCSA has now clarified that there are geographic exceptions to enforcement: Drivers stopped within specific commercial border zones – ranging from three to 20 miles from the border, depending on the size of the population within the municipality – will not be grounded if they fail a language evaluation. Instead, inspectors are directed to cite the violation but let the driver proceed.

This exception applies “irrespective of the driver or motor carrier’s country of domicile or whether the driver holds a U.S. CDL, Mexican Licencia Federal de Conductor, or Canadian CDL,” the FAQ states.

February 5: Government of Canada Launches ‘Payments for Trucking Services’ Webpage

New CRA administrative policy: For 2025 and later calendar years, businesses operating in the trucking industry will be assessed penalties for failing to report fees for services exceeding $500 in a calendar year that they pay to a Canadian-controlled private corporation in the trucking industry using box 048 of the T4A slip.

The new ‘Payments for trucking services’ webpage provides information to enable calculation of payroll deductions and contributions. It outlines steps in the process and offers a list of resources.

February 10: Ottawa to Install More Than 8,000 New EV Chargers, Help Fleets Purchase Low-Carbon Vehicles – BNN Bloomberg

In an effort to convince more drivers to switch from gasoline to electric vehicles, the federal government announced on February 10 it has committed to install thousands of new chargers from coast to coast to coast.

The environment minister, energy minister and transport minister announced what they called an advancement to last week’s auto strategy. Ottawa intends to spend $84 million to install more than 8,000 electric chargers across Canada though the Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program. So far, Ottawa has not provided any timeline on how long it will take to get the new chargers up and running.

In addition, $5.7 million was committed to three projects through the Green Freight Program to help Canadian fleets reduce their fuel costs and purchase low-carbon vehicles. Another $7.2 million will be directed towards educational and awareness projects that aim to increase public and industry knowledge and confidence related to EVs.

February 11: Trump Wants 100% American-Made EV Chargers. Some See Sabotage. – E&E News

The Trump administration is proposing to require that federally funded electric vehicle chargers be fully U.S. made, an all-but-impossible target that could kill a multibillion-dollar effort to build a nationwide charging network.

“This proposal is designed to provide a strong incentive for manufacturers to rapidly shift their processes toward domestic manufacturing,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, adding it would “protect Americans from foreign-made EV charger components that use technology with cybersecurity vulnerabilities.”

But a chorus of EV supporters and industry experts said on February 10 that the new rule would be next to impossible for federally funded charging stations to meet. It is not yet clear how rigorous the 100-percent rule will be; it’s in proposal stage and open for public comment.

“It’s hard to imagine 100 percent of any product being domestically sourced,” said Jay Turner, a professor at Wellesley College who maintains a database of clean-energy factories.

February 12: U.S. Inspections Blitz: 71% of Drivers Removed for Insufficient English Proficiency – Transport Routier (translated from French)

As part of Operation SafeDRIVE, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and law enforcement members from 26 states and the District of Columbia conducted targeted actions along major transportation corridors.

Between January 13 and 15, 8,215 inspections were carried out, resulting in 704 drivers being taken off the road, nearly 500 of whom (71%) were dismissed for insufficient English proficiency. In addition, 1,231 vehicles were taken out of service and 56 arrests were made.

February 13: Alberta Officers Put 65% of Trucks OOS During Airdrie Enforcement Blitz – TruckNews.com

Alberta enforcement officials put 65% of inspected commercial vehicles out of service during a recent blitz in Airdrie.

Out of 23 inspections, 15 commercial vehicles were placed out of service for safety violations, Alberta Sheriffs said in a social media post. Five vehicles required on-the-spot maintenance to bring them into compliance.

February 19: U.S. FMCSA Issues Mandatory Non-Domiciled CDL Directives – FreightWaves

New guidelines released by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reveal just how aggressive the agency plans to be in enforcing its final rule cracking down on non-domiciled CDLs.

The new FAQ provides details on a federal purge of unvetted foreign drivers, introducing mandatory operational changes not detailed in the final rule issued recently.

The most significant escalation in the new directives targets the nomenclature found on the licence.

Under the final rule, all eligible licences must unmistakably display the term “non-domiciled.” However, the new FAQ goes further, revealing that licences marked with terms like “temporary” are no longer just out of date but are non-compliant. FMCSA is now “strongly encouraging” states to immediately revoke and reissue these specific credentials rather than waiting for them to expire.

In addition, simply adding a “non-domiciled” restriction code to a standard design is explicitly forbidden, according to the new directives. Instead, the word must be “conspicuously and unmistakably” located on the face of the card.

February 20: CTA Defends Immigration as Conservatives Want TFWP Scrapped – TruckNews.com

The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) says immigration remains essential to the industry after Michelle Rempel Garner, Conservative shadow minister for immigration, called for abolishing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

Rempel Garner said that overreliance on indentured, temporary foreign labour is a risk to supply chain integrity. With unemployment rates rising, the talking point that “Canadians don’t want to do these jobs” does not hold, she said.

“This is the only way to incentivize policy development that will result in more unemployed and underemployed Canadians being hired across the country,” Rempel Garner said. “Without this step, industries that have become reliant on a virtually endless supply of indentured, temporary foreign labour will never move to do more to match Canadians with available jobs.”

Geoff Wood, CTA senior vice president of policy, said the TFWP will continue to have an important role and must remain a viable option to support the trucking industry.

“This key immigration program needs to remain open to legitimate operations,” he said. Wood added the program needs updating and a strict known-employer program should be implemented to ensure workers are treated fairly, paid properly and given opportunities to transition to permanent residency.

February 21: Ministers with Transportation Portfolios Agree to Deal with Driver Inc. Across Canada – Canadian Trucking Alliance press release

The Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety (COMT) agreed at a meeting last week to act collaboratively to combat non-compliance with labour, tax and safety rules in the commercial trucking industry associated with the Driver Inc. model. Additionally, they agreed to sign-off on 14 key solutions to inter-provincial trade barriers in the coming weeks.

February 23: Canada’s Trailer Theft Nearly Doubles as Cargo Losses Go Underreported in 2025 – TruckNews.com

Cargo theft across North America is becoming more organized, strategic and more expensive, and in Canada, the official numbers may tell only part of the story. Equité Association says Canada’s cargo theft problem may be larger than official figures suggest.

Trailer theft surged in 2025, climbing to approximately 970 incidents nationwide, up from about 570 in 2024. Yet reported cargo losses did not rise at the same pace, suggesting the industry may be absorbing more theft than it publicly records.

Sid Kingma, director of investigative services, Western and Pacific Canada, at Equité Association, said final 2025 national numbers are still being validated, but one trend is clear: Theft in the trucking and supply chain industries is clearly on the rise.

“If we look at tractors, trailers and cargo, the biggest increase we’ve actually seen is in the trailers… it’s almost doubled from what we saw in 2024,” Kingma said.

February 24: Legislation to Kill Double Brokering Hits U.S. Senate Floor – FreightWaves

A legislative effort to purge fraudulent brokers from the supply chain is now eligible for consideration by the full U.S. Senate after being placed on the Senate calendar on February 23.

The Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act takes direct aim at fraud in the household goods sector, but its enforcement provisions and registration requirements would apply to all freight carriers and brokers that register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

If passed, the bill would restore and codify FMCSA’s explicit authority to assess civil penalties for unauthorized brokerage activities – after a 2019 legal ruling had stripped that power away. FMCSA would be able to bypass the Department of Justice for many types of fines, enabling faster action against double-brokering – which scams carriers out of their freight payment – and other unauthorized brokerage schemes.

Carriers and brokers would be required to provide to FMCSA a valid physical business address, not a P.O. box, before receiving operating authority.

February 26: From Sharpies to Vinyl: The Professionalization of Truck Identity in Cargo Theft – FreightWaves

For years, the industry has joked about fraudulent trucks showing up with handwritten signs taped to the doors. A company name written in marker on a piece of paper became the stereotype of cargo theft. If you were paying attention, you could usually spot it. That environment is changing. Criminal groups operating in freight are getting more organized, and the physical appearance of legitimacy is becoming easier to create and harder to challenge in the moment when decisions are made.

We are now seeing patterns that suggest actors are using rapidly produced vinyl decals to create temporary truck identities within hours. The goal is not branding. The goal is access. A truck only needs to look legitimate long enough to remove freight from a facility. Once the freight moves, the identity can disappear just as quickly.

Most fraud prevention conversations still centre around documentation. Carrier packets, certificates of insurance, operating authority status and email verification are all important, but they address only part of the exposure. Modern cargo theft increasingly combines digital deception with physical impersonation. A fraudulent carrier identity may exist online long enough to pass onboarding checks. By the time a truck arrives for pickup, the paperwork often appears reasonable on the surface. The final step is making the equipment visually match the identity that was booked.

February 26: Canada’s Largest Electric Truck Trial Delivers Clarity for Fleets – TruckNews.com

FPInnovations’ PIT Group has concluded Canada’s most comprehensive real-world test of heavy-duty battery-electric trucks, following two fleets (Martin Brower and Loblaw) as they collected more than 200,000 km of data over a year on Montreal-area roads.

Transport Canada’s Zero-Emission Trucking Program has delivered one of the clearest datasets yet on how electric Class 8 trucks perform outside controlled demonstrations and pilot programs.

“This project has been unique in that it was conducted over … 12 months, across different seasons and with two separate fleets,” said Maxime Tanguay-Laflèche, senior researcher in telematics and advanced data with PIT Group.

A key finding is that deployment of BEVs (battery-electric vehicles) is not as simple as swapping out diesel units for electric trucks.

The electric trucks performed best when fleets adapted operations around the strengths and limitations of the technology.

The report repeatedly shows that success depended less on vehicle capability than on operational alignment. Routes with predictable distances, centralized terminals and controlled return schedules allowed electric trucks to operate efficiently and reliably, while variability and scheduling pressure quickly exposed operational flaws.

February 26: Alberta to Offer Trade Designation for Class 1 Drivers in June 2027 – TruckNews.com

Alberta will launch a trade designation for Class 1 commercial drivers in June 2027, offering journeyperson certification for truck driving.

Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen said commercial driving should be recognized as a skilled trade.

Addressing the Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada’s Red Seal Ontario meeting, Dreeshen said that, just as electricians, carpenters and mechanics benefit from recognized standards of excellence, so too should those who play an integral role in supply chains and the economy.

He said the Red Seal designation will improve safety by standardizing high-quality training and ensuring consistent standards nationwide. That will reduce variability, he added, and allow commercial drivers to begin training in a manner similar to apprentices in other skilled trades, with flexible, learner-focused education. The approach will help carriers hire drivers and reduce onboarding time, he said.

February 27: FMCSA Spotlights U.S. Trucking’s Multimillion-Dollar Insurance Gap – FreightWaves

The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has warned Congress that a massive “insurance gap” is leaving the American trucking industry more vulnerable than ever.

In its 2026 quadrennial report to lawmakers, the agency laid out a precarious new reality for the industry: The 12 billion tons of freight for-hire interstate property carriers move are now subject to a median “nuclear” verdict that has skyrocketed to $51 million.

At the same time, with current federal minimum financial responsibility levels remaining unchanged since 1985 – at $750,000 for the transportation of property – a carrier’s mandated insurance now covers less than 1.5% of a median major award.

 

 

Rail

February 18: UP, NS to Resubmit Merger Application to STB on April 30 – Progressive Railroading

Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway have informed the Surface Transportation Board that they anticipate filing a revised application on April 30 for their proposed merger.

The Class Is had to let the STB know by February 17 whether they would revise their proposal calling for UP to acquire NS. The railroads filed their initial application with the STB on December 19, 2025; they announced their plan to merge in late July 2025.

On January 16, the STB unanimously ruled that the application was incomplete because it did not include certain information required under STB regulations.

 

 

CIFFA Advocacy, Communications, Activities

February 6: CIFFA Selects 2026 Canadian Young Logistics Professionals Award Winner: Ercenk Atasoy

Each year, CIFFA presents an award to an outstanding young logistics professional who exemplifies the knowledge and skills necessary to excel as a true international logistics leader in the future. After a review process of industry experience and a written dissertation demonstrating technical knowledge, CIFFA is pleased to announce that Ercenk Atasoy of DSV Air & Sea Inc. has been selected as the 2026 winner of the Canadian Young Logistics Professionals Award.

As this year’s Canadian winner, Ercenk will receive a cash prize of $1,500 and will represent Canada at the FIATA Americas regional competition, which requires the submission of two dissertations. If he is selected as the Americas regional winner, Ercenk will have the opportunity to compete at the 2026 FIATA World Congress in Milan, Italy, in the fall.

February 9: CIFFA Receives Ministerial Correspondence on Building Canada Act

CIFFA received correspondence from Dominic Leblanc, Minister Responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy, dated February 9.

The letter thanked CIFFA for its correspondence regarding the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act, appreciating CIFFA’s enthusiastic support for both initiatives and for the positive impact they will bring to the freight forwarding, warehousing, trucking, and freight and customs brokerage sectors.

The letter also provided an update on the Government of Canada’s progress on this important priority.

February 20: From Geopolitics to Global Logistics: New Honours Degree Honing International Business Skills – The Globe and Mail

From shifting trade agreements to ongoing supply chain disruptions, international business has become a high-stakes, fast-moving field that increasingly demands graduates who can think globally and adapt quickly. Centennial College is responding with the launch of a new Honours Bachelor of Business Administration – International Business program in fall 2026 at the college’s Progress Campus.

The four-year degree, says Amanda Stone, associate dean in the School of Business within Centennial’s Faculty of Global Business and Creative Industries, was developed in response to clear labour-market signals. “There’s been a continual upward trend in employment opportunities in the international business space,” she explains. “We’re seeing strong demand for graduates who understand geopolitics, import and export, supply chain and logistics.”

Students will have the opportunity to earn a professional credential from CIFFA, Canada’s logistics association for freight forwarders, customs brokers, freight brokers, drayage and warehousing companies. Not only will students gain an understanding of global logistics and freight forwarding and other practical skills, they will earn a certification that would otherwise be a cost to employers, explains Ms. Stone. “It’s an added value from an employment standpoint.”

February 26: CIFFA Meets with MPs, Policy Advisors in Ottawa

CIFFA’s advocacy team, Julia Kuzeljevich (Director, Policy and Regulatory Affairs) and Ben Martin (Government Relations Lead Advisor), attended a public affairs conference on February 23 in Ottawa, followed by a full complement of advocacy meetings on February 23 and 24.

The conference included several key presentations, including “Making Sense of Federal Budget Changes,” presented by Sahir Khan, Co-founder and Executive VP of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at uOttawa. He shared insights on how public affairs and government relations professionals and advocates can engage effectively in fiscal decision-making, helping shape policies that matter. Khan highlighted that the government’s Budget 2025 represents a clear pivot away from a decade of social program and wealth transfer to a defence and economic growth agenda.

He also noted that the budget targets the business investment gap that has opened up since 2014 with the U.S.

After the conference, CIFFA had meetings with:

• Senior policy advisors at the Office of the Honourable Dominic Leblanc – Minister of Internal Trade, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy
• Staffers at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition
• Bloc MP Simon Savard-Tremblay and separately with Conservative MP Jacob Mantle to discuss their work on the Standing Committee on International Trade, where CIFFA has been a witness
• Public Safety Canada
• Senator Duncan Wilson, who has a keen interest in international trade, foreign affairs, transport and regulatory reform

Topics discussed during these advocacy meetings included:

• Ongoing concerns related to system outages and lack of communications/transparency to the supply chain sector
• Trade Diversification Corridors Fund
• Labour disruptions impacting Canada’s trading reputation and ability
• Red Tape Review – Supporting international trade and greater efficiency at the border