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The University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab, in collaboration with various companies, is piloting a zero-emission hub for last-mile deliveries.

Imported cargo shipments to the U.S. are expected to remain at a record or near-record levels for several more months as consumer spending continues to restart the pandemic-damaged economy. But industry experts say all of that buying is clogging an already overtaxed supply chain.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has completed a 100-day review of supply chains and will form a task force to address the bottlenecks in the semiconductor, construction, transportation and agriculture sectors.

The Consumer Brands Association on June 2 launched a new task force aimed at increasing visibility and easing supply chain pressures.

A year ago, as the pandemic ravaged country after country and economies shuddered, consumers were the ones panic-buying. Today, on the rebound, it’s companies furiously trying to stock up.

Lumber roared to a fresh record high May 3, with traders in bidding wars after the Chicago Mercantile Exchange removed limits on how high some futures prices could go.

A group of supply chain industry representatives, including trucking leaders, sent a letter to members of Congress on April 14 urging them to pass legislation that would allow truckers under age 21 to drive across state lines.

Two Republican lawmakers called for broader American restrictions on the sale of chip-making tools after the U.S. government placed several Chinese supercomputing firms on an export blacklist, saying even tougher rules are needed to prevent the People’s Liberation Army from using sensitive technologies.

The Federal Reserve is seeing both labor and material shortages mounting across several sectors of the U.S. economy, which may have consumers paying even more for everything from fuel to new homes.

COVID-19 has driven the need for contactless delivery methods, but a silver lining may be increased efficiency.