It’s tough enough, getting small packages into the hands of e-commerce shoppers with the efficiency and speed they demand today. But when heavy goods are involved? That’s a whole other challenge.

The slump in parcels is industry-wide, with rival United Parcel Service Inc. reporting on January 31 lower U.S. volumes and a forecast for declining sales in 2023.

UPS has been stressing profitability over volume but the drop in revenue was a surprise.

Freight carriers are seeing the impact, as the number of big and bulky shipments declines and retail customers continue to pare inventories and push back restocking.

UPS argues that it already pays its workers, especially drivers, much more than competitors.

lobal labor-productivity growth in construction has averaged just 1% per year over the past two decades, compared with growth of 2.8% for the total world economy.

Regional and other carriers still have less than 10% of the U.S. market, but the share is growing.

The goods we consume today require complex logistics processes in urban areas. If not planned adequately, they can negatively affect urban sustainability.

The situation is highly significant, as Royal Mail is deemed critical to the U.K. economy.