Perry forecasts a roughly 3 percent increase in freight tonnage in 2012 and price increases of between 5 and 8 percent.

FORBES: Trucking industry sales revving

It hopes that companies will be attracted to a service that offers seven-day, door-to-door delivery for half the price of air freight delivery of four to six days.

ECONOMIST: Fast container ships

Manufacturers of small high-tech electronics goods, where freight costs account for a tiny fraction of the retail price, may not be that bothered about hedging freight rates.

ECONOMIST: Are container derivatives poised for bumper growth?

Price competition is fierce as a result, and freight operators know that they can only get just so many yuan for hauling a ton of freight between, say, Beijing and Shanghai.

FORBES: Ford Affiliate To Buy China Truck Maker

The primary factor in the decline in stock price for the two firms was the weak demand for coal freight services, a trend which will affect CSX in Q4 2012 and will likely to do so over the next few quarters.

FORBES: CSX Earnings Preview: Modest Growth Expected

Since it takes two years to build a container ship, freight capacity is inflexible, so small changes in demand can cause marked changes in price.

BBC: The popcorn route to recovery

If I purchase a book for the same price from a retailer and a remote seller, the remote seller's freight cost would be paid by my own state of Texas.

FORBES: Readers Say

After a disappointing set of Q3 results from FedEx last week driven by overcapacity in the international freight industry and an unfavorable volume-mix in the express package delivery segment, we have adjusted our price estimate for the company.

FORBES: After Weak Results FedEx Looks Like A $105 Stock