Responding to similar criticism that shipping rates are used to drive consumer demand in the region, industry giants FedEx and UPS agreed to halt new international container investments this week, sending shippers back to the negotiating table. FedEx said it would cease all future container investments outside the U.S. as part of a 5-year strategic plan to transform its shipping network. These agreements by large carriers are being viewed as the end of a contentious period. In February, dozens of major international shippers rejected forwarder Cogent Express's position that domestic shippers would suffer from a prolonged slowdown in the freight markets, and filed a petition to the Surface Transportation Board asking it to halt future.