Looking Ahead to the Rest of 2025

Canada faces some potential question marks and challenges heading into 2025. While it was already slated to be an election year, Justin Trudeau’s resignation as party leader made some waves in the country’s political landscape. And with the threat of more potential tariffs from the U.S., it will be critical for the liberal party to sort out its leadership in time for the election.

The next update to CARM is also slated to be released in 2025, requiring importers to post financial security to avoid losing the release prior to payment privileges.

As difficult of a year as 2024 was for trucking, there are some encouraging signs pointing toward a better year in 2025. Rates seemingly bottomed out near the end of 2024 and have shown modest growth heading into 2025. The excess capacity we saw in 2024 continues to dwindle, which should lead to a better supply/demand balance throughout the coming year. All signs point to the best balance of supply and demand since 2022.

There are a few other factors to be aware of heading into the new year, though. Updated emissions and safety standards for trucks could prove to be costly for carriers. They will likely require significant investment and upgrades to existing fleets and operations. AI is also making waves in the trucking industry. Operations are seeing the benefits of adding AI as booking and tracking procedures are being streamlined with the help of this technology.

Likewise, warehouses anticipate tighter safety and regulatory requirements at some point in 2025. As technology and robotics continue to infiltrate warehouses across the country, existing regulations will likely need to change to keep up with the evolving technology. This could include stricter safety standards in warehouses that have robots or automated machinery, as well as tightened regulations to protect against data breaches or cyberattacks.

After a year of such uncertainty in 2024 and another big year ahead, it shows why having a logistics partner you can trust is so valuable. Scarbrough’s team of experts is here to assist with any logistics problem you may encounter, no matter the size. If you have questions about the year ahead, reach out to our team today and we’ll be happy to find solutions for your business.