The trucking industry’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a boost in public perception that will endure for years to come, American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear told Transport Topics.

The final resting places of 1.7 million American veterans were adorned with holiday wreaths this year as organizers of the annual Wreaths Across America Day worked to ensure the nation’s fallen received this honor despite challenges presented by the pandemic.

Truck tonnage in November declined a seasonally adjusted 3.8%, marking the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year declines, American Trucking Associations said Dec. 22. However, the ATA For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 3.7% in November after falling 5% in October when measured month-to-month.

The global surge in e-commerce brought on by the coronavirus pandemic combined with online holiday shopping sent net quarterly sales for FedEx Corp. above $20 billion for the first time in its history, and led to an increase in net income as well, the company reported Dec. 17.

As the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine begin to ship, trucking experts on the ground level of the distribution effort said the logistical elements are in place for a successful rollout of an estimated 50 million doses of the vaccine between now and the end of January.

The average price of diesel increased by 3.3 cents a gallon nationwide to $2.559, according to weekly data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Dec. 14. Still, trucking’s primary fuel costs 48.7 cents less than it did a year ago.

The leadership of the Federal Maritime Commission says it is becoming worried that ocean carriers may be assessing unfair detention and demurrage charges at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., as well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

For the trucking and logistics industry, the challenges of COVID-19 vaccine distribution are just beginning. Hundreds of millions of doses will need to be shipped around the world and in the United States, and the process is just now getting underway.

Sites that for decades housed AM radio towers today command top dollar as e-commerce fuels rising demand for new warehouses and logistics centers.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s weekly survey published Dec. 7 showed trucking’s primary fuel increased 2.4 cents nationwide and now costs $2.526 a gallon.