U.S. dockworkers at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts began their first major strike in decades Oct. 1 in a move that threatens to have downstream impacts on trucking.

Key industry and government officials are urging U.S. dockworkers and their employers to avoid a strike at East and Gulf Coast ports, though many facilities are bracing for a shutdown.

DETROIT — With a strike deadline looming, the group representing East and Gulf Coast ports is asking a federal agency to make the longshoremen’s union come to the bargaining table.