Jaguar Freight | The Weekly Roar – July 20, 2026

In this week’s Roar: Jumping diesel prices, fragmentation of U.S. tariffs, East Asia’s ongoing dominance, a surge in global air cargo demand, and the impact of constantly reevaluating supply chains.

After falling for nine weeks in a row, the U.S. national average for diesel jumped to $4.796 per gallon, up $1.058 in its first increase since May. We can thank the latest flare-up in the ongoing Middle East tensions, which have again pushed oil prices higher. The recent bombings and strong rhetoric from both sides naturally renew concerns about how disruptions and ongoing uncertainty will affect global supply chain costs and service performance going forward. There appear to be few easy answers as to how the conflict will resolve at this point.

After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down IEEPA tariffs, the resulting actions from the Trump Administration have led to significant fragmentation in the U.S. tariff environment. Sections 301 and 232 remain active and expanding, but Section 122 faces legal challenges and may expire next week. This is forcing many companies to adopt new methods to deal with evolving risks, since compliance depends on their understanding of which tariff authorities are in force at any given time.

East Asia continues to be the world’s largest container export region as of June 2026. It generated an estimated 7.20 million TEU, which is 32.8% of the global total. The region has a stable lead with Europe and Southeast Asia following, with the three regions together accounting for nearly 69% of total container exports in June.

Global air cargo demand surged 7% year on year in June, mostly fueled by record semiconductor and AI hardware shipments. AI now accounts for nearly 10% of air cargo volume. Spot rates are up 38% over last year, especially on Asia Pacific and North America lanes, easing a bit when Middle East tensions fell back, although that could change. Despite strong demand, shippers continue to favor short-term capacity deals due to ongoing market uncertainty.

A recent Gartner survey found that 72% of supply chain leaders revisited their final approvals for network investments at least once, with more than half of them doing so three or more times. It’s a cycle of reevaluation that can cause delays and dissatisfaction, while highlighting the need for flexible, adaptive supply chain planning to better absorb day-to-day turbulence and protect margins.

Compliments of Jaguar Freight – Member of the EACCNY