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Amazon.com Inc.’s call for entrepreneurs to help expand its package-delivery network is a cry for help.

UPS Inc. workers authorized their union to call what would be the first strike since 1997, giving negotiators more leverage in talks to replace a labor contract that expires at the end of July.

Union Pacific Corp. operations are about 80% of normal, after it deployed more locomotives and crews to clear network congestion that began eroding service last year, CEO Lance Fritz said.

Convinced that blockchain is on the brink of transforming the package-delivery business, FedEx Corp. is testing the technology to track large, higher-value cargo.

Once at the mercy of shippers, truckers now are turning the tables, thanks to surging freight demand and a shortage of drivers.

Retailers, railroads and electricity companies are pressing for U.S. government approval to fly drones longer distances. Regulators, geared to an aviation industry that can take five years to get a new jetliner in the air, are struggling to adjust to the breakneck pace.

A U.S. trucking shortage that has pushed up freight costs for everything from cereal to toothbrushes is about to get worse.

Tyson Foods Inc. expects to pay $200 million extra for freight this year. Kellogg Co.’s logistics costs will rise nearly 10%. McCormick & Co. blamed increased shipping expenses for its failure to achieve a profit target.

A fatal crash of Amtrak and CSX Inc. trains Feb. 4 raises concerns about whether the freight railroad’s massive operations overhaul might have compromised safety and contributed to a rise in accidents.

With CEO Hunter Harrison’s death on Dec. 16, CSX Corp. lost the guiding hand of a railroading legend who added almost $17 billion in value in less than a year.