The U.S. trade deficit grew in 2021 to the largest on record, reflecting a surge in the value of consumer-goods imports as the pandemic discouraged spending on services and drove more outlays for merchandise.

Surging prices of the raw materials needed for refrigerators, automobiles, window frames and plumbing show no signs of abating as America’s supply chain crisis spills into another year.

The latest hurdle to shipping goods in a world gripped by pandemic-driven supply chain disruptions is a shortage of cardboard boxes, according to one of the world’s biggest makers of the material.

The head of one of Canada’s largest supermarket chains says the vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the U.S.-Canada border is raising the cost of shipping fresh food. But so far, it has had little impact on the retailer’s ability to stock shelves.

By the end of last year, the long-awaited $1 trillion infrastructure policy bill was signed into law, the holiday season saw the vast majority of packages delivered with minimal delays, and the USDOT announced more than $241 million in grants to domestic ports.

Truck tonnage in December rose a seasonally adjusted 1.4% compared with the same month in 2020 — the fourth consecutive year-over-year gain and the highest measurement since March, American Trucking Associations announced.

Ocean shipping rates are expected to stay elevated well into 2022, setting up another year of booming profits for global cargo carriers — and leaving smaller companies and their customers from Spain to Sri Lanka paying more for just about everything.

Global air cargo growth slowed sharply in November as demand was hit by supply chain disruptions, partly because COVID-19 restrictions left workers stuck in quarantine, causing labor shortages.

Benjamin Whitely headed to a Safeway supermarket in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 11 to grab some items for dinner. But he was disappointed to find the vegetable bins barren and a sparse selection of turkey, chicken and milk.

More stringent COVID-19 vaccine requirements set to take effect at the borders may put new pressure on freight traffic between the United States and Canada, experts said.