Distribution Services Ltd

Air freight giant BAX Global Inc. has agreed to acquire privately held Distribution Services Ltd. for $76 million as part of its strategy of expanding its worldwide services. Irvine-based BAX, formerly Burlington Air Express, is best known for handling air shipments for big corporate customers such as General Motors and TRW. Lately it has been expanding more heavily into ocean freight and logistics management.

Air freight giant BAX Global Inc. has agreed to acquire privately held Distribution Services Ltd. for $76 million as part of its strategy of expanding its worldwide services. Irvine-based BAX, formerly Burlington Air Express, is best known for handling air shipments for big corporate customers including General Motors, Rockwell International and TRW. But lately BAX has been expanding more heavily into ocean freight and logistics management.

Air freight giant BAX Global Inc. has agreed to acquire privately held Distribution Services Ltd. for $76 million as part of its strategy of expanding its worldwide services. Irvine-based BAX, formerly Burlington Air Express, is best known for handling air shipments for big corporate customers including General Motors, Rockwell International and TRW. But lately BAX has been expanding more heavily into ocean freight and logistics management.

Air freight giant BAX Global Inc. has agreed to acquire privately held Distribution Services Ltd. for $76 million as part of its strategy of expanding its worldwide services. Irvine-based BAX, formerly Burlington Air Express, is best known for handling air shipments for big corporate customers such as General Motors and TRW. Lately it has been expanding more heavily into ocean freight and logistics management.

A labor standoff at the nation's busiest harbor complex lurched into its fourth day Thursday as thousands of truckers stood idle and shippers watched stacks of stranded freight containers slowly rise. The access roads and loading lots at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach barely rustled under the morning fog, but shippers said operations appeared to pick up modestly over Wednesday, estimating that truck traffic was between 30% and 50% of normal.

The long-festering labor ruckus that has hampered steamship lines and trucking companies around the nation's busiest harbor complex for more than a week is on the verge of reaching a boiling point, with the future of the Southern California shipping industry in doubt and the reputations of the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports on the line.