When you think about fair trade, coffee and chocolate probably come to mind. One day, many consumers will add apparel to that list.

Total intermodal traffic grew in the third quarter of 2013 by 4.7 percent, year-over-year, attributable to gains across the board, according to the Intermodal Association of North America. Domestic container volume continued to lead intermodal growth, posting a year-over-year increase of 9.4 percent, and combined with a 1.2 percent boost in intermodal trailer volume for the same period, all domestic equipment experienced 7.6 percent year-over-year gains during the third quarter of 2013.

Shipper demand for 40-foot high-cube containers is still increasing, creating stowage problems for ocean carriers and analytical difficulties for trade forecasters using TEU measurements.

Carrier Transicold is now offering a Quest II power-saving mode for its container-refrigeration units.