Congress and the Administration do not understand the relationship between the U.S. merchant fleet, the military and trade. This lack of understanding has created haphazard policies that are gutting the fleet and inhibiting the private sector's ability to recapitalize our aging maritime industry. The time for action is now. Congress and the Administration are considering budget proposals that, if unopposed, would destroy the U.S. maritime industry and hand over our maritime supremacy to foreign carriers.

Recently, several wholesale distribution industry groups published data showing mostly steady growth in the last decade for their members in such verticals as auto parts, health and beauty, furniture, industrial, and food. In fact, many have outperformed other sectors of the U.S. economy, and this year and next are no different.

Worldwide Express, a package and freight-shipping company based in Dallas, has developed version 2.0 of its technology platform, consisting of SpeedShip and SpeedFreight.

Class 8 orders rose above 20,000 units for a fifth consecutive month in February, while a surge in step-van orders pushed new medium duty demand above the prevailing trend.

United States freight carload traffic gained ground during the week ending March 16, 2013, up 0.5 percent measured against the comparable week in 2012, said the Association of American Railroads.