A small collection of metropolitan markets produce, consume and distribute the vast majority of all U.S. goods, a concentration that puts enormous pressure on specific infrastructure, and demonstrates how problems in one market can spread across the entire country.

Pilot Freight Services has added Retail Services to its repertoire of transportation and logistics solutions. These services involve managing and coordinating the logistics requirements associated with store planning and design, as well as visual merchandising. Under its Retail Services offering, Pilot will expand its work with brick-and-mortar retailers on projects, including opening new stores, rolling out new seasonal displays, and remodeling stores.

Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. has opened its newest service center in Phoenix, Ariz.

Echo Global Logistics Inc. has completed its acquisition of Command Transportation LLC.

A group of very important guests were transported on flight QR 8197 from Amsterdam-Schiphol to Las Vegas via Qatar Airways this past April. A 777-200 freighter was reserved for just 40 well-pampered passengers from 17 different countries, who flew "first class," so to speak, on the 11-hour, 20-minute flight. The combined net worth of these clients was about $160m. As rich as they were, they did little more on the flight than eat and sleep, with an inflight dining menu of 120 pre-packed haynets, water, oat bran for mash, mixed feed, apples and carrots.

TNT has launched an air route between its main European air hub in Liège, Belgium, and Malta.