Business

A shipper group has expressed “profound disappointment” over a so-called fact-finding investigation by the Federal Maritime Commission into numerous U.S. importer and exporter complaints about “perceived malpractices” by ocean carriers that resulted in supply-chain service disruptions and rate and surcharge increases in late 2009 and 2010.

A huge Midwest snowstorm worked its way east Monday, stranding more than 70 motorists in Indiana in freezing temperatures, the Associated Press reported.

UPS Inc. will require customers shipping packages to show government-issued photo identification in an effort to intensify security after explosives were found on October cargo flights, Bloomberg reported.

Orders for Class 8 trucks in North America soared to more than 26,000 in November, jumping at least 148% from a year ago and 38% from October, industry consultants said.

Con-way Freight said Monday it is investing $10 million to expand its San Antonio service center into a new, 105-door, 41,500 square foot facility.

Truck manufacturers said they are prepared to boost production to meet increasing demand in 2011, although some experts warned shortages of key components could develop as suppliers struggle to keep up with what could be one of the strongest sales markets in years.

U.S. retail diesel has sold at a premium over gasoline throughout 2010, and petroleum market watchers said global competition for the trucking industry’s main fuel likely means that will not change any time soon.

Google’s recent move to forsake Net Neutrality — the premise that all content on the Web should be distributed evenhandedly — threatens to have serious consequences for trucking companies’ websites, especially if other Internet titans follow suit.

Oil traded near a two-year high close to $90 early Monday as a report showed continued high demand in China, Bloomberg reported.

Ensuring the safe delivery of every load should be a top priority in the trucking industry. Yet, even with the most sophisticated technologies and best risk-management techniques, bad things can happen to good people — or good carriers.