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Supply Chain by the Numbers

Jan. 15, 2026

Supply Chain by the Numbers for Jan. 15, 2026

US Trade Deficit Heading Down. Walmart with Major Drone Rollout. Battle over CDL Licenses in Californla. Warehouse Automation Spend Expected to be Strong


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$29.4 Billion
That was the overall US trade deficit in October, according to the latest number from the Census Bureau reported late last week. The report was delayed because of the 43-day shutdown of the government. But that is a significant number, as it represents the lowest monthly gap since June 2009, when the US in the midst of a deep reception. It appears the tariffs may be having some effect. US imports decreased 3.2% to $331.4 billion. Goods imports tumbled 4.5% to $255.0 billion. The decline in imports could be the result of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. The drop also suggests softening domestic demand.

$160 Million

That is how much money the Federal government has withheld from funds due to the state of California, the US department of Transportation announced last week. Why the DOT action? The Golden state failed to meet the agreed-upon deadline of Jan. 5 to cancel more than 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses held by non-U.S. citizens. That after an audit found that the state “illegally issued licenses with expiration dates extending years beyond a driver’s lawful presence and to grant commercial driver’s licenses to individuals who were ineligible to hold them.” Last year, the Trump administration announced new guidelines for commercial truck drivers, including the enforcement of English proficiency standards.



270

That’s how many stores Walmart will have set up for drone delivery when it completes its just announced rollout to another 150 stores roughly at the end of 2026. According to a report on the TechCrunch.com web site, Wing, a unit of the Alphabet company, is expanding its partnership with Walmart for the second time in less than a year. The new rollout, following previous drone deployments at Walmart stores in Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta, will start soon. The two companies called it the "world's largest drone delivery expansion." The new 150-store expansion announcement follows plans announced in June 2025 that Walmart was launching drone service in Houston, Orlando, Tampa, and Charlotte. Is the drone delivery era finally here?



24%
That is newly revised forecast for growth of company spending on warehouse automation initiatives of all sorts globally in 2025 versus 2024. That according to new research released this week from research firm Interact Analysis and analyst Rueben Scriven, released in a blog post. But that revenue estimate of 24% growth last year (versus 22% growth in 2024) compares with shipment growth of just 18%. This disconnect reflects higher prices even as shipment volumes softened, Interact says. “We forecast robust growth through 2030, driven by demand for scalable, flexible solutions—demand reinforced by today’s uncertain economic and political environment,” Scriven says in the blog.

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