Last week, I found myself amidst the massive booths and cargo chatter of Breakbulk Europe 2025 in Rotterdam. As someone who's spent 22 years navigating the lanes of over-the-road (OTR) freight, diving into the world of breakbulk and project freight was like swapping my trusty Fiat for a monster truck, very intimidating, but so energizing.

The Venetian in Las Vegas hosted 6,000+ supply chain and logistics professionals representing 60+ countries at Manifest:The Future of Supply Chain and Logistics, and while AI, robotics, and data were hot topics, the real story was how companies are adapting to an era of discomfort, change, and rapid decision-making. Here’s what stood out: