Shopify Inc. plans to spend $1 billion to set up a network of fulfillment centers in the United States to help merchants using its e-commerce platform deliver products more quickly and cheaply, much the way Amazon.com does.

Businesses spent $1.64 trillion on transportation and logistics services in the United States in 2018, a jump of 11.4% from the prior year, as companies retooled supply chains in response to the growth in online sales and tight capacity drove up freight rates.

Amazon.com is adding 15 aircraft to its shipping fleet in an effort to speed up delivery to customers’ doors.

Freight brokerage company Arrive Logistics announced June 18 that it has raised an additional $25 million for expansion.

The Port of Baltimore and officials for the state of Maryland as well as railroad CSX Corp. are seeking federal help to rebuild the nearly 125-year-old Howard Street Tunnel, which, they say, is symptomatic of the nation’s crumbling infrastructure and is significantly slowing freight traffic.

Amazon, the e-retail giant, has built up its logistics infrastructure over the years. This expansion includes a new warehouse just outside Omaha, Neb., as part of an effort to control more deliveries on its own rather than relying on FedEx Corp., UPS Inc. or the U.S. Postal Service.

DHL Supply Chain will spend $150 million to expand its network for distributing pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — As cities continue to embrace designs for “complete streets,” tailored for cars, bicyclists and pedestrians traveling alongside one another, urban planners should consider freight needs too, engineering experts said.