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.

Petro-Canada Lubricants has a new API CK-4 and FA-4 information hub that offers a comprehensive online guide to the new heavy duty diesel engine oil categories for their first official license date of December 1, the company said.

Sales of secondhand ships used to haul commodities such as iron ore, coal, grain and fertilizer have hit a seven-year high in 2016 as the industry creeps out of an eight-year downturn that has sunk several fleets of shippers.

Consumer confidence rose in November to the highest level since July 2007 on increased optimism about the U.S. labor market and economy, according to a report Nov. 29 from the New York-based Conference Board.

U.S. trailer orders climbed above 21,000 in October for the second-highest total of the year, as analysts said the cycle is stabilizing after the tremendous surge in orders during the previous two years.

Shippers of bulk freight expect prices to rise on railroads next year, but they could have greater control in contract negotiations because of competition from trucking with intermodal rail, according to a Nov. 16 report from RBC Capital Markets.