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.

WASHINGTON — A fatal collision of two Union Pacific freight trains in Arkansas resulted from a fatigued engineer and conductor who were both likely asleep aboard one of the trains, federal investigators ruled Dec. 6.    

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is concerned about a proposed change at XPO Logistics that would increase the maximum number of shares it can issue as compensation 400%, from 500,000 shares to 2.5 million, the union wrote in a Dec. 1 letter to the company’s board of directors.

The skills needed to run a successful transportation company today are quite different from what was required in the past, and that has many firms turning to workplace training and education partnerships to find the right people to help them flourish in a fast-changing business environment.

The global shipping industry is in the midst of a huge downturn, with weak demand engulfing it for the past few years. Experts acknowledge that the sector’s biggest hurdle is overcapacity, but the wave of mergers and acquisitions means the hard times will pass eventually.