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January 5, 2000 2:54 PM, EST

Carriers that do not adapt to the changes brought on by electronic commerce could find themselves battling for a shrinking low-tech trucking market as the impact of new delivery demands ripples through the industry.

Experts say e-commerce will open doors to trucking companies that are willing to branch out into new business and will blur the lines among the different carrier segments. To take advantage of these opportunities, companies will have to improve the logistical link between their offices and trucks in getting the goods to customers. In turn, they also will have to form alliances among truckload, less-than-truckload and package delivery firms to get the job done.

Opportunities abound for carriers in online trade, partially because of a failure by Internet retailers to make adequate arrangements to deliver goods and handle returned items from sales generated by their Web sites. Experts in e-commerce and logistics caution that these cyberspace sites could prove to be disastrous if businesses don’t have the infrastructure in place to ship products quickly.

The need for a reliable delivery foundation takes on new importance as e-tailers attempt to meet the increasing demand.

For the full story, see the Jan. 3 print edition of Transport Topics. .