LONG BEACH, Calif. — Rail and intermodal providers said they are increasing speed and efficiency to become more competitive, and technology is helping them improve operations.

A $20 billion investment spree detailed by UPS CEO David Abney last year, a plan that initially rattled Wall Street, is bearing fruit. Profit margins are improving even as 112-year-old Big Brown copes with swelling volume from voracious online shoppers, who are typically less lucrative to serve than business customers.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — A panel representing the shipping industry spoke about the looming International Maritime Organization mandate that will require cargo vessels to burn low-sulfur diesel, and shippers and carriers said the requirements could lead to price increases or the rerouting of freight.

U.S. Steel Corp. said it expects to report a wider loss than analysts were expecting, the third American steelmaker in three days to warn on their outlook. The shares fell.

Major U.S. seaports posted growth in containerized cargo volume for August, the start of the season when retailers begin importing holiday merchandise.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Steve Branscum, retired group vice president for BNSF Railway, and Mike Wilson, CEO of Consolidated Chassis Management, have received Silver Kingpin Awards from the Intermodal Association of North America during Intermodal Expo 2019 on Sept. 16.

As GM was nearing the expiration of its labor contract with the union last week, the carmaker sought to have hourly workers pay 15% of their health care costs, according to sources familiar with the talks. But by the time the company presented UAW with a deadline offer, GM walked back the proposal and called for keeping contributions steady at about 4%, said the sources.

FedEx Corp.’s fiscal 2020 first-quarter earnings were down as a result of a weakening global economy and increased costs as it expands its service into other business lines, including seven-days-a-week home delivery service, the parcel delivery company said.

New York’s congestion pricing plan should include fees on motorists both entering and leaving midtown Manhattan, as well as variable rates linked to peak and off-peak hours to encourage commuters to choose the least busy times to travel, a transportation group recommended.

U.S. exporters are increasingly relying on trucks to get fuel into Mexico as the country’s gasoline production sags and infrastructure constraints limit shipments from one coast to the other.