University College, the college of professional and continuing studies at the University of Denver, is offering a new major in global commerce and transportation, as part of its Bachelor of Arts Completion Program (BACP).

Total U.S. business logistics costs in 2011 rose to $1.28tr, a 6.6-percent increase from the previous year, accounting for 8.5 percent of the country's gross domestic product, according to the 23rd Annual State of Logistics Report, presented by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and Penske Logistics.

The British International Freight Association is seeking entries for its annual Freight Service Awards competition, celebrating 24 years of recognising the best in the UK freight forwarding industry.

International trade data indicates that U.S. import shipment volume for May, measured in TEUs, increased 5.6 percent from April and 3.5 percent from May 2011.

After grounding its fleet of six Boeing 747-400ERFs on Dec. 31 due to depressed demand, Jade Cargo International has officially shut down. The liquidation of the Chinese carrier - of which Shenzhen Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo and German investment firm DEG hold a 51-percent, 25-percent and 24-percent stake, respectively - comes on the heels of numerous capacity cuts in the Asia-Pacific region.

For those interested in transportation management, the news that truckload rates are trending flat for the time being may be good, although on a year-over-year basis, May's index registered 5.0 percent higher than for the same period last year. The continuing share shift toward intermodal is at least one reason rates are being held in check.

In international trade news, import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to increase 4.8 percent in June compared with the same month last year, and year-over-year increases are expected to continue into the holiday season shipping cycle, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.