The green revolution in freight transport may be held up at the procurement office. Shipping companies say they are facing resistance to the growing array of sustainable transport operations they are bringing to markets, even as companies talk up ambitious goals for slashing carbon emissions. The WSJ Logistics Report’s Paul Berger writes that the gap highlights a growing fault line in the logistics arena as environmental goals collide with the higher costs that come with alternative fuels and other green initiatives. One recent study by the Boston Consulting Group found shippers are willing to pay a premium for green transport, but that the level they are willing to pay falls well short of the larger costs to overhaul shipping. The deeper problem may be that the sustainable transport services lack real scale so far. That may leave shippers with tough choices that could upend broader supply-chain plans.

• A new alliance of shippers is pushing ocean carriers to step up emissions-reduction efforts. (The Loadstar)

Weaker shipping demand is slowing down FedEx’s efforts to reset its operations. The company’s earnings fell for the second straight quarter, the WSJ’s Denny Jacob reports, as thinning margins in its key Express segment offset improvements in its Ground and its trucking units. The results for the three months ended Feb. 28 highlight FedEx’s continuing struggle to get its costs and operations aligned in an Express business marked by receding demand and volatile expenses. Operating profit in that unit plummeted 77% to $119 million as domestic package volumes tumbled 14%. That was a big contrast with strong improvement at the Ground business focused on e-commerce traffic and the Freight trucking segment, where the operating margin jumped to 17.7%. The diverging results suggest the U.S. shipping market is changing and that FedEx is still adjusting to the shifting package landscape. 

The U.S. Postal Service is trying to get a better grip on the safety of its contract trucking operations. The USPS is telling its trucking contractors to immediately notify the agency of serious accidents. The WSJ’s Christopher Weaver reports the demand marks a reversal from past practices that will give officials a new window into the safety records of those carrying its mail. The directive follows a Wall Street Journal article on deficient safety practices across the sprawling network of contractors the USPS uses to move mail. The March 1 report found that the Postal Service set unrealistic expectations for speedy deliveries, failed to monitor truckers’ compliance with federal safety rules and didn’t track serious accidents. The agency declined to comment on how it would collect accident information from companies operating as subcontractors to truckers, a growing business as the USPS steps up its use of freight brokers.

• The U.S. Postal Service shifted a big share of its transport spending from air to trucks in the past fiscal year. (Supply Chain Dive)

• Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse and the threat of other troubled banks are “a wake-up call” to financial markets and companies that the Fed’s rate hikes have consequences. It may be a blessing in disguise as a bank run.
   
• Tech executives discussed the implications of the SVB collapse in a panel discussion at a CIO Network event.
   
• It's no longer enough that sustainability chiefs know the technical stuff. They also need to be influencers and transformation leads for their companies.
   
• Retailers including Walmart and Whole Foods are pushing for lower prices from suppliers, leveraging their buying power now that supply-chain constraints have eased.
   
• Stubborn inflation, particularly in building costs, continues to challenge businesses that want to use insurance to prepare for the next disaster.

The number of new U.S. unemployment claims fell sharply last week. (WSJ)

New home construction in the U.S. rose 9.8% last month in the first gain in six months. (MarketWatch)

Dollar General’s quarterly sales jumped 17.9%, ahead of a 14.3% increase in merchandise inventories on a per-store basis. (WSJ)

Nickel and copper prices are sliding on concerns over China’s economy. (Nikkei Asia)

A U.S. government report says American importers bore almost the entire burden of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on more than $300 billion in Chinese goods. (Bloomberg)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants U.S. safety regulators to expand their audit of Norfolk Southern to include other major freight railroads. (The Hill)

Executives at J.B. Hunt and Ryder System are showing less optimism about the U.S. freight market for the rest of 2023. (Fleet Owner)

Toy maker Funko is destroying up to $36 million worth of inventory after surplus stocks strained its fulfillment network. (Retail Dive)

China’s Alibaba is expanding operations in Spain and South Korea through its AliExpress retail service. (South China Morning Post)

U.S. regulators fined Taiwan’s Wan Hai Lines $950,000 over fees it charged customers in 2021. (Maritime Executive)

Dry-bulk ocean carrier Genco says it is on the hunt for acquisitions. (Lloyd’s List)

Warehouse automation company Nimble has started to operate its own third-party fulfillment centers. (TechCrunch)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.