A merger of German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd and United Arab Shipping Co. likely will take months to complete, partly due to financing issues blamed on a deep industry downturn, sources familiar with the deal say.

XPO Logistics and Sealed Air teamed up last month to announce a new product for shippers, a partnership that could reopen the discussion about how efficient packaging can boost profits for trucking companies, experts said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is applying for a $160 million federal grant to help pay for a project that aims to clear up rail congestion around 75th Street in Chicago, cutting delays for Metra, Amtrak and freight railroads.

Ceva Logistics will lay off up to 173 employees in early 2017, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act letter sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Containerized cargo volume at the nation’s top two largest ports was mixed in November as Los Angeles continues to experience a record-breaking year and Long Beach suffers from the bankruptcy of the Hanjin Shipping Co.

For many folks, 2016 has been a year to forget, and the shipping industry is no exception. But looking ahead, A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S is determined to put a positive spin on things — maybe too positive.

Confidence among U.S. small businesses surged in November by the most since the spring of 2009 as companies grew decidedly upbeat about sales and economic prospects after the presidential election, a report from the National Federation of Independent Business showed Dec. 13.

Swift Transportation reported that the fourth quarter has been mixed so far, although there have been gains in volume versus late 2015 in the truckload and dedicated units. But the company is confident about 2017 being a favorable year, executives said Dec. 9 on a conference call for investors.

Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB, Latin America’s biggest retailer, will spend more than $1 billion to improve its logistics operations, a person with direct knowledge of the plan said.