Air freight prices surging in a "perfect storm"

Mar 24, 2020
Loading up passenger planes with cargo is not an easy thing to do, physically or economically. But it's happening.
Air freight is directional. A lot more comes to the U.S. from China than the other way around.
Amdrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

A customs broker battles the effects of COVID-19

Feb 24, 2020
Gretchen Blough of Erie, Pennsylvania, explains how business out of China has "screeched to a halt."
A deserted street in Shanghai on Feb. 6.
Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

Shipping costs likely to rise as new clean-air rules kick in for vessels on January 1

Dec 26, 2019
By how much shipping costs and the price of diesel will increase is up for debate.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Six fewer shipping days till Christmas puts pressure on UPS, FedEx and USPS

Dec 5, 2019
This year's late Thanksgiving has put shippers on alert. They're reminding customers to send their gifts early.
UPS has sent emails and social media messages about shipping deadlines. Above, a UPS worker sorts packages in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Record number of returns expected this holiday season

Nov 29, 2019
Online returns are costing retailers more than ever. In-store returns, however, create an opportunity for a shopper to buy something else.
Retailers are feeling pressure to have a smooth returns process, in addition to fast shipping.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Farmgirl Flowers' limited "menu" approach is a blooming success

Nov 28, 2019
CEO Christina Stembel was turned down more than a hundred times for capital before deciding to use her own money and strategy.
Christina Stembel is founder and CEO of Farmgirl Flowers.
Courtesy of Farmgirl Flowers

Amazon sacrifices profits for faster shipping

Oct 25, 2019
The company's spending a lot of money to make sure you get your meat thermometer the same day you order it.
Two-day shipping used to be Amazon's signature. Now, its competitors offer the same.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Rising Great Lakes water levels benefit some, but cost others

Aug 15, 2019
The shipping industry is profiting from rising water levels in the Great Lakes, but homeowners and city parks are struggling.
The city of Duluth, Minnesota’s construction projects supervisor Mike LeBeau looks down at the rebuilding of a section of the popular Lakewalk pedestrian and bike trail. The trail was damaged by a series of huge storms, compounded by high water levels on Lake Superior. The rebuild is costing about $3 million.
Dan Kraker/Marketplace

The hidden junk economy on the Miami River

May 10, 2019
Despite its lack of order, it works.
Wilson Simon sorts through used mattresses for resale in Port-de-Paix, Haiti. A mattress is one of the most sought after commodities in the underground, break-bulk shipping industry between Miami and Haiti and is considered to be “gold” among vendors.
Rowan Moore Gerety

In logistics, employers scramble for workers

May 7, 2019
Bureau of Labor Statistics data show nearly 90,000 job openings in warehousing, transportation and utilities in March.
Boxes travel on conveyor belts at an Amazon fulfillment center in Robbinsville, New Jersey, in 2017.
Mark Makela/Getty Images