CHICAGO — Two former White House officials say the world’s supply chain has experienced unprecedented disruption the last 2½ years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As shippers and retailers head into the peak shopping season, ongoing labor negotiations are being closely watched for any signs of disruption, which experts say would have a huge impact on the U.S. economy.

FourKites is launching three programs aimed at connecting logistics leaders to improve processes, the supply chain visibility platform announced Sept. 1.

French container line giant CMA CGM SA is seeing an across-the-board drop in shipping rates and a loosening of logistics bottlenecks in some regions as demand softens.

Even under the uncertain business environment of the past year, a majority of the companies that appear on Transport Topics’ 2022 Top 100 Private Carriers list were able to expand their fleet operations.

In light of the many supply chain disruptions and market shifts of the past few years, shippers have been working to improve the efficiency and reliability of their private fleet operations, starting with an even sharper focus on attracting and retaining professional drivers.

Record-setting container volumes continued flowing through some of the nation’s major ports in July, while industry challenges compelled declines at other facilities.

New York gasoline inventories are so low that suppliers are resorting to expensive U.S. vessels to move fuel into the region and allay the potential for shortages.

All parts of the U.S. supply chain — not just its ports — need to move to round-the-clock operations to alleviate snarl-ups and reduce overall costs, President Joe Biden’s supply chain czar said.

Micron Technology Inc., the leading U.S. maker of memory semiconductors, became the latest chipmaker to declare that demand is falling off rapidly. It warned investors that revenue won’t meet projections, sending industry stocks tumbling.