The supply chain doesn’t break in the obvious places, it breaks in the gray areas: the assumptions inside contracts, the handoffs between shipper and 3PL, and the gaps between a plan and the real world. We sit down with Sandy Hodes, Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement and Corporate Development Officer at Ryder System, to unpack how third-party logistics providers navigate supply chain volatility while still delivering service, controlling cost, and protecting relationships. We get specific about supply chain regionalization in North America, why nearshoring and onshoring decisions are inherently multi-year, and how tariff uncertainty can pause even well-funded moves. Sandy also shares why Ryder shifted away from a global 3PL model years ago and leaned into a “port-to-door” approach built around regional customer needs, stronger synergies, and clearer execution. If you manage procurement, logistics sourcing, or supply chain strategy, you’ll hear practical guidance on what should be black-and-white in an agreement versus what needs to stay flexible for change. From there, we dive into modern contract work and operations: AI for first-pass contract review, pulling KPIs and obligations from messy contract databases, and the real risks of AI hallucinations without human oversight. We also explore warehouse automation and robotics, including goods-to-person systems and ASRS, with a clear message that automation only works when ROI, volume, and standardization support it. Finally, we talk electric trucks and EV fleet adoption, why charging infrastructure and range still block scale, and what 2035 could look like with more automation, shifting labor markets, and bigger demands for strategic supplier relationships. If this sparked ideas for your next logistics RFP, contract renewal, or automation roadmap, subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more supply chain leaders can find the show.
