Some ship operators are still looking for ways to skirt an international ban on the release of oily waste into ocean waters, in some cases using a tool known as a “magic pipe” to bypass cleaning devices, despite a crackdown on the practice.

“Autonomous vehicle” tends to conjure images of flying drones and quadcopters. But autonomous trucks will have a far more immediate and lasting impact on cargo, says Dan Murray, vice president of the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) — although it may be some time before such vehicles are embraced globally.

ZTE, one of China's leading technology companies, announced recently that it will end “major operating activities” after the U.S. government barred American firms from doing business with the telecom equipment maker.

The White House plans to convene executives from Amazon, Facebook, Google, Intel and 34 other major U.S. companies on Thursday as it seeks to supercharge the deployment of powerful robots, algorithms and the broader field of artificial intelligence.

Established U.S. logistics firms say digital-friendly freight startups that are drawing growing interest in Silicon Valley still lack the scale and customer relationships to threaten their share of the market.