Customs checks at the border after the U.K. leaves the European Union could cost 1bn pounds ($1.3bn) a year and cause delays for goods being shipped in both directions, according to a report by Oxera, an economic consultancy.

Mexican trucking companies are urging lawmakers to stiffen penalties against cargo robberies, with a group representing motor carriers saying the escalation of crime this year has turned much of the country's highways into "no man's land."

United Parcel Service Inc. expects most retailers to agree to higher shipping prices during the weeks leading up to Christmas, which it says are necessary because of the glut of online orders.

In an update last week, Maersk Line gave more information into the causes and effects of the Petya cyberattack, which struck its core business IT systems on June 27. Its damage took Maersk weeks to fully repair.

CSX Corp. is telling some shippers to brace for growing pains, including additional days of transit times, as the railway implements Chief Executive Hunter Harrison's plan to tighten schedules.

The general public is well aware of the continuing development of autonomous vehicles - the media constantly provides stories on the advances of these self-driving cars, trucks and cabs. While not receiving the same media amount of coverage, the technology for autonomous ships is also rapidly developing.