Amazon delivery options are rooted in data — and competition

Apr 25, 2019
The online retail giant still feels brick-and-mortar stores hot on its heels.
An Amazon package makes its way down a conveyor belt before being shipped.
PHILIPPE MERLE/AFP/Getty Images

U.S. short on long-haul truckers

Mar 13, 2019
Trucking companies are boosting pay and trying to make the lifestyle more amenable to a new generation of drivers.
61-year-old Petru Strugari of Portland, Oregon, says driver pay is rising at trucking companies, just as costs rise for parts and maintenance to operate his own truck.
Mitchell Hartman/Marketplace

Not plain sailing for Texas oil exports

Mar 8, 2019
In Texas, energy companies are scrambling to find a home for the record amount of oil they’re producing.
In Texas, energy companies are scrambling to find a home for the record amount of oil they’re producing.
MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

Maritime rule change could push up costs

Jan 18, 2019
The United Nations agency regulating shipping wants ships to use cleaner fuel.
A container ship from China Shipping Line is loaded at the main container port August 13, 2007 in Hamburg, Germany.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Customs officials struggle with the uptick in volume of goods shipped into the U.S.

Dec 28, 2018
A 2016 law that allows goods from abroad to enter the U.S. duty free as long as they are valued at $800 or less has opened up the door to more counterfeiters.
Customs officers in the DHL warehouse at JFK Airport.
Ashley Milne-Tyte for Marketplace

National Returns Day peaks for the first time before Christmas

Dec 20, 2018
UPS estimates it will process a record 1.5 million Black Friday returns before Dec. 25.
Christmas came early this year ... for the returns department, that is.
PRImageFactory/Getty Images

Why FedEx is a bellwether for the global economy

Dec 19, 2018
Experts say the shipping company’s earnings offer a look ahead at where the economy’s going

For public good, not for profit.

Can the U.S. Postal Service afford a one-day delay in deliveries this holiday season?

Dec 5, 2018
In honor of former President George H.W. Bush, the U.S. Postal Service is suspending deliveries Wednesday.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Free, fast shipping during the holidays can pressure small businesses

Nov 29, 2018
How some stores have been dealing with buyer expectations.
A worker sorts packages at a UPS facility in 2010 in Hodgkins, Illinois.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Can shipping freight across the country be as easy as finding a ride across town?

Aug 23, 2018
"There's a lot more going on in the background when it comes to truck loads," one expert says.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images