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Supply Chain by the Numbers

June 26, 2025

Supply Chain by the Numbers for June 26, 2025

Gas Prices,to Soar in California. Amazon Stopping Fake Goods. May Freght is Flat, ATA Says. Fred Smith Dead at 80


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65 Cents
That is the projected rise in California gasoline prices per gallon starting July 1, when several new gas taxes go into effect in the state. Estimates are that together these new taxes will take gas prices in the Golden state to $6.00 per gallon, highest in the nation. Warnings have been circulating for weeks that gas prices could rise even higher in the state — perhaps as high as $9.00 per gallon, which would have a seismic impact on car drivers. The state’s politicians are hoping to accelerate the adoption of battery-powered autos.

200+

That is the number of civil actions that have been taken against counterfeiters (“bad actors”) that have been initiated as a result of work from Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit, which just hit its 5-year anniversary. That according to a blog post by Amazon this week, which noted those 200+ actions have led to more than $180 million in court-ordered restitution and judgments for brands and victims. Over those five years, the CCU’s global reach has expanded from operating in just two countries initially to 12 countries today, including the US, China, France, India, and the UK. This work has also led to significant criminal prosecutions and penalties for counterfeiters worldwide, including prison sentences for more than 65 individuals, Amazon says.



0.1%
That was the minor drop in the American Trucking Associations’ Freight Tonnage Index – leaving it basically flat – in May versus April, according to the ATA this week. The Index was down 1.3% in May versus the same period in 2024, as the freight recession continues on. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello commented that “Excluding the services economy — the largest part of economic activity— the goods market is all over the map, thus impacting freight levels. Construction is soft, manufacturing is up and down, and consumers are cautious.” Year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2024, tonnage was up a scant 0.1%.



80
That was the age of FedEx founder Fed Smith upon his passing late last week. In 1965, Smith authored perhaps the most famous and influential term paper in business history while studying economics at Yale, Smith’s 1965 term paper pitched the idea of creating a logistics company that would carry only cargo, and do so for a package’s end-to-end journey, such that a package could be delivered almost anywhere in the US overnight. Supposedly Smith only received a grade of C on his submission, with the professor commenting that the idea wasn’t practical. In 1971, Smith started to put that college term paper idea into action. He founded a new freight company called “Federal Express,” to denote his national ambitions. The rest, as they say, is history.

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