The International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organization, along with other aviation authorities, have urged African officials to promote and implement the Africa Strategic Improvement Action Plan. The plan, which calls for all African carriers to complete IATA Operational Safety Audit registration, contains specific ways to improve aviation safety in Africa from now until 2015.

Aljex Software Inc., a vendor of software and systems for third-party logistics providers and carriers, is offering free accounts to carriers and brokers willing to serve as beta testers for software improvements.

The U.S. arm of Air Menzies International (AMI) has launched click2ship Imports, the import version of its online, door-to-door express wholesale service for air freight.

Cadec Global, a vendor of management systems for truck fleets, now integrates with CoPilot Truck 9, the latest navigation and routing tool from ALK Technologies.

Descartes Systems Group has acquired the assets of Infodis B.V., a Netherlands-based vendor of transportation-management system (TMS) software.

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.

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.