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Faced with hundreds of parked planes and near-empty flights as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, some of the world’s biggest airline executives are turning their focus to cargo.

In the freight-hauling sector, certain loads have dwindled to a trickle. Other parts of the trucking industry are booming to meet the demand for necessary consumer goods and medical supplies, and adding drivers however they can.

As truck drivers crisscross the country hauling goods vital to the fight against the coronavirus, they find themselves at the center of another fast-spreading outbreak: nationwide gratitude. It’s showing up along the roads, on TV, in emails and social media, and even at the White House.

UPS Inc. said it is taking steps to protect its employees from contracting the COVID-19 virus and that it reached an agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters concerning paid-leave guidelines for unionized workers who are affected by it.

FedEx Corp. CEO Fred Smith said during a television appearance that he doesn’t expect his company to seek assistance from the federal government to survive the economic downturn being caused by the spread of COVID-19.

CRST International on March 2 announced it had acquired final-mile specialist NAL Group. Financial terms of the agreement were not made public.

Danish company DSV Panalpina is opening a route between Alabama and China in response to shipping cutbacks over the coronavirus.

Atlas Logistics acquired full-service logistics company TopHat Logistical Solutions in a deal announced Feb. 19.

XPO Logistics Inc. will lay off 304 workers at an AllianceTexas distribution center in April, according to a notice filed with the Texas Workforce Commission.

Six months after being named interim CEO of Addison, Texas-based Daseke Inc., Chris Easter was named the flatbed carrier’s permanent CEO on Feb. 7.