Building America's Future called for dramatically ramping up long-term investment in the nation's infrastructure after the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its 2013 Infrastructure Report Card, which graded America's infrastructure a D+ overall.

All eyes are watching the deteriorating political situation in Egypt. The recent civil riots in Port Said were, arguably, too close for comfort for those dependent on the Suez Canal. Although the arterial trade route is unlikely to close, the possibility cannot be ignored.

To cope with the larger vessels that will transit through the Panama Canal when its expansion is complete in 2015, Central American countries must dramatically improve their intermodal road and port network infrastructure, the quality of their trucking services and strengthen their institutional coordination, two studies issued today by the Inter-American Development Bank show.

Analyst Insight: There has been an explosive and exciting level of growth and innovation in the development of new automation solutions for distribution operations, particularly in the areas of full-case and less-than-case automation. It is inevitable that companies in North America and other developing nations will increasingly adopt these solutions as labor markets contract due to the aging population in the decades ahead. - Marc Wulfraat, president, MWPVL International Inc.

The Stifel Logistics Confidence Index increased for the fifth consecutive month in March, according to the latest survey undertaken by Transport Intelligence. The index for the current and expected situation combined was up 0.4 points to 52.5 in March compared with 52.1 in February.