Main Street Monday: The Supply Chain Problem Is Back
October 26, 2026
Bob Coleman
Founder & Publisher
Main Street Monday: The Supply Chain Problem Is Back
My cousin works in transportation logistics at the Port of Los Angeles. She tells me the port is busier than she has seen since COVID.
The Port of Los Angeles confirms the surge. It handled a record 1,042,652 container units in September, the busiest month in its 118-year history.
Her observation comes as a new Bank of America Institute Business Checkpoint report finds that small businesses are paying substantially more for freight and logistics as transportation bottlenecks return ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Bank of America reports that small-business freight and logistics payments rose 12.7% year over year in September, nearly four times the 3.2% increase mid-sized businesses recorded.
Larger businesses negotiate dedicated transportation contracts and benefit from greater purchasing power. Small businesses rely more heavily on spot-market freight pricing, leaving them more exposed when trucking rates increase.
Small-business freight and logistics payment growth was even higher earlier this year. In June, the increase approached 30% before moderating to 12.7% in September.
The October 15 report examines payments Bank of America business clients made to freight carriers, logistics companies, and transportation providers. Bank of America defines small businesses as those with annual revenue below $5 million, while mid-sized businesses have revenue between $5 million and $50 million.
The figures measure growth in average payments per business client, using a three-month moving average.
Meanwhile, trucking capacity is tightening. Bank of America’s Truckload Capacity Indicator fell from 39.2 to 28.4 as of October 1. The indicator measures shippers’ assessment of available trucking capacity.
The Global Supply Chain Pressure Index reached its highest level since summer 2022 in May and remained elevated into October. Pressures remain below the extremes experienced during the pandemic.
The report identifies several factors contributing to tighter trucking capacity, including stricter commercial driver’s license requirements, additional training standards and regulatory enforcement that have reduced the available driver pool. Transportation and warehousing payroll payments have also increased sharply as companies compete for qualified drivers.
Bank of America says the current trucking upcycle is being driven primarily by restricted capacity rather than a substantial increase in freight demand.
Small businesses are entering the holiday shopping season with positive profitability growth. But their freight and logistics spending is rising much faster than that of mid-sized companies, while trucking capacity tightens and inventory management grows more complicated.