In response to Florence, which has claimed at least 32 lives, trucking companies and logistics groups are fielding requests for supplies and mapping out routes to deliver aid.

GlobalTranz Enterprises said it has agreed to acquire Chicago-based freight brokerage firm AFN, a move designed to boost the company’s share of the market for third-party logistics services.

Holly Springs, N.C., hopes to be among the first spots in the United States where drones are used for package delivery.

The world’s biggest freight carriers all got a little bigger this year as demand for transportation surged across the globe. Here's the 2018 Top 50 Global Freight Carrier rankings.

The global transportation services market was estimated at about $5.8 trillion last year, and there is much at stake for ­legacy freight forwarding, logistics and supply-­chain management companies.

The most important factor in boosting business across the United States is a solid network of highways and rail lines that connect the community to domestic and foreign markets.

The future of rail transportation literally may be up in the air. Entrepreneurs and engineers from around the world have proposed radical concepts for hauling freight and passengers, including a multistory flying train, a supersized blimp and super-high-speed trains.

General Logistics Systems, a division of Royal Mail in the United Kingdom and a major parcel carrier in Europe as well as regional operator in the United States, is buying the Canadian operations of Montreal-based Dicom Transportation Group for C$360 million from Wind Point Partners.

Kathleen McCann, chairman and CEO of United Road Services, announced that Mark Anderson will take over as CEO next year as she transitions to the role of executive chairman.