Business

ATLANTA — Rivian Automotive was attracted to Georgia’s education system, resources and talent when choosing a site for its $5 billion battery and assembly plant, a company official said Dec. 16 as the project was officially announced.

The shortage of professional drivers quickly became the defining issue for the industry during the past year with its far-reaching effects.

A coalition of trucking, transportation and manufacturing stakeholders in letters sent to President Joe Biden, members of his Cabinet and congressional leaders expressed concern over how the persistent shortage of semiconductors needed for manufacturing new trucks is affecting the broader economic landscape.

FedEx Corp. rode increased prices to post profit above analysts’ estimates, bolstering the company’s outlook and easing investor concerns over higher labor U.S. costs. The shares rose in late trading.

Rivian Automotive Inc. said it expects to fall short of its annual production target as the electric pickup maker gave investors the first look at its operations as a public company.

Atlantic and Pacific ports in November continued their record-setting pace as imports continue to flood into the country during the peak of the holiday shopping season.

The year 2021 will not soon be forgotten in truck equipment circles that were buffeted by a persistent severe virus carried over from 2020, by its new variants and more related supply chain and labor disruptions.

FedEx Corp. began operations Dec. 15 at its substantially bigger air cargo hub at Miami International Airport. The $72 million addition, two years under development and roughly the size of two football fields, doubles the hub’s size to 282,000 square feet.

In the nearly two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. economy has been battered and undergone substantial change. Through it all, economists and experts say it has shown remarkable resilience.

General Motors Co. has talked up its electric vehicle plans for years, and even generated buzz by resurrecting Hummer’s gas-guzzling name in the form of an electric pickup truck. Now comes the tough part: selling mass-market EVs.