WASHINGTON — Anemic shipping volumes combined with weak pricing for transportation carriers in 2016 to push down total U.S. business spending on logistics, both in dollars and as a percentage of gross domestic product.

FedEx Corp. reported profits grew year-over-year, increasing 65% over the last 12 months and easily beating the Bloomberg News consensus forecast on both an annual and quarterly basis.

Truck tonnage rose 4.8% year-over-year in May, according to the monthly American Trucking Associations Tonnage Index, the largest gain since November 2016, echoing sentiments from analysts and trucking executives that the freight market has tightened in recent weeks as people spend more time outdoors.

While it’s no secret that more and more people are shopping online, less obvious is understanding consumers’ buying habits and patterns — which has great relevance for the trucking industry.

The amount of time it took the average truck driver to do business at the two largest North America ports rose six minutes year-over-year in May due to backups at Total Terminals International, according to data from the Harbor Trucking Association.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Peter DeFazio is never far from home. His small office at the Rayburn House Office Building is a bona fide southwest Oregon visitor center. Visitors are greeted by posters of college football matchups featuring Oregon schools, photos of the Pacific coast and majestic mountains and a cute little beaver reminiscent of a Gund stuffed animal by the front desk.

While it’s no secret that more and more people are shopping online, less obvious is understanding consumers’ buying habits and patterns — which has great relevance for the trucking industry.