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Amazon .com will hire 100,000 people — and give U.S. workers a $2-an-hour raise — in an effort to meet crushing demand from customers placing online orders for household essentials rather than going to crowded stores.

As they evaluate the implications of the coronavirus, some state trucking associations have adjusted the schedules of their truck driving championships.

For fleets, COVID-19 portends worse news in a freight market that already was slowing, executives said, as businesses urge their staff to work from home and consumers withdraw from daily activities.

Economists who closely follow the transportation and trucking industry say the next month will be critical as to whether the economy avoids a recession in 2020 as concerns over the spread of the coronavirus mount.

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency announced at 2020 TMC that it is beginning a three-year program to identify what it calls “high-potential” regional routes that are well-suited to running electric trucks. Dan Ronan, Transport Topics associate news editor of print and multimedia, reports.

Government reporter Eleanor Lamb recaps the managers and trucking executives discussion about how to maximize uptime at 2020 TMC on Feb. 25.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Feb. 24 that it is seeking comment on a 2019 request from United Parcel Service Inc. in which the carrier seeks a five-year renewable exemption from federal regulations in order to allow its driver-trainees with commercial learner permits to operate twin 28-foot trailers on public roads.

Nissan Motor Co. is bracing for potential disruptions in plants as far away as the U.S. because the coronavirus epidemic in China is leading to a parts shortage and wreaking havoc across the supply chain, people familiar with the matter said.

UPS and Waymo announced Jan. 29 a pilot program for autonomous vehicle package pickup in Phoenix.

DHL Express, FedEx and other companies specialize in arranging transportation for large animals, including manatees, pandas and elephants.