In this episode of Logistically Speaking, Scott Case and Cameron Roberts sit down with Brandon Fried, Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association, at AirCargo 2025 in Dallas. Brandon shares his insights on the current state of the air cargo industry, critical challenges facing forwarders, and emerging opportunities in a changing global landscape.
This episode was recorded on Sunday, March 2nd and at the conference, the imposition of Canadian, Mexican and Chinese tariffs were discussed, came into existence and then in the case of Canada and Mexico, were partially removed two days later on USMCA-qualifying goods.
Key Topics:
- The evolution of the air cargo industry and the shift to multimodal transportation
- Impact of potential tariffs on trade with China, Mexico, and Canada
- Changes to de minimis regulations and their effect on e-commerce
- Air cargo security developments since 9/11
- Infrastructure challenges at U.S. airports and the AfA/NCBFAA white paper initiative
- Future of air cargo including autonomous aircraft and the need for freighter capacity
About Brandon Fried: Brandon Fried was appointed Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association in November 2005. He began his career as a sales representative in Los Angeles before moving to Washington DC, where he owned and operated the Washington office of a global freight forwarder specializing in time-definite air cargo transportation. Brandon joined the Air Forwarders Association in 2000 and was elected Chairperson in 2001, serving for two consecutive terms. He has served on the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, COAC, the CNS Advisory Board, and numerous other industry associations. Brandon brings decades of hands-on experience in the forwarding industry and continues to be a leading voice for air cargo interests in Washington.
