Logistics

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk caught many employees by surprise with his announcement last week that the electric-car maker would close most stores and shift to online-only sales, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The United States has confirmed the country is postponing “until further notice” a scheduled tariff increase on Chinese goods, the latest sign that the world’s two largest economies could be headed toward a de-escalation of their trade dispute.

Elon Musk said March 3 that Tesla will unveil its Model Y crossover in less than two weeks, as questions about store closures, employee layoffs and demand in the wake of waning U.S. federal tax credits threaten the company’s growth narrative.

Parcel Pro, a UPS Capital company, has partnered with Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America to provide MJSA premier members access to technology and insured shipping at a time when e-commerce is causing sales of luxury goods to boom, according to a company news release.

The United States and China are close to a trade deal that could lift most or all U.S. tariffs as long as Beijing follows through on pledges ranging from better protecting intellectual-property rights to buying a significant amount of American products, two people familiar with the discussions said.

Artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are often not even known as such by the user. Instead, they are often packaged among the automated features of enterprise resource planning systems increasingly used by shipping firms as AI and data science continue to evolve.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, in a move to bolster its international freight business, has purchased The Space Cargo Group, a company based in Madrid that provides freight forwarding, customs brokerage and other logistic services in Spain and Colombia, for $48 million in cash.

America’s trucker shortage is about to hit consumers right where it hurts: in the kitty litter.

With shippers and receivers demanding tighter delivery windows, trucking companies are utilizing a range of technologies to more accurately predict when drivers will ­arrive at destinations.

TFI International reported a 60% increase in profits in the final quarter of 2018 from the comparable quarter in 2017, part of the trucking and logistics company’s record results for the quarter and the full year.