Mexican semi-truck exports to the U.S. have slumped 80% in a matter of days as a border blockade to protest Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s stepped-up vehicle inspections drags on.

Texas will halt some vehicle inspections at the U.S.-Mexico border after a protest against Gov. Greg Abbott’s crackdown provoked protests that halted some crucial food and equipment shipments.

With negotiations expected to begin soon between the 22,000-member International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, ILWU leaders are expressing confidence that the two sides will reach an agreement — without an interruption in work — before the June 30 deadline for the current contract expiration.

Real economic activity in the U.S. is slowing sharply. This is showing up in lower demand for new trucks and autos, and a tailing off in freight volumes, leaving transport stocks facing more downside.

The U.S. economy is strong enough to avoid a sharp downturn, even as concerns are growing about how long consumers can sustain healthy spending levels amid rising inflation, the head of transportation at Deutsche Post AG’s DHL supply chain division said.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller blasted Gov. Greg Abbott’s “catastrophic” crackdown on cross-border trucking and warned it will lead to food shortages in the second-largest U.S. state.

PHARR, Texas — Just four days after the Texas Department of Public Safety began implementing a program to inspect all commercial traffic crossing the Texas-Mexico border, Mexican truck drivers staged a protest that halted all traffic into and out of Mexico at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge on April 11.

Union Pacific Corp. plans to limit customer-owned railcars on its network beginning next week to ease traffic jams that have gummed up the supply chain.

SAN DIEGO — Closer collaboration and a willingness to find different ways to move freight are among the ways that third-party logistics providers have been navigating the supply chain disruptions, delays and scarce capacity that have characterized the past two years.