What business opportunities will emerge due to increased shipping costs?<p>I suppose there will be a surge in on-demand media production. Book and magazine producers will save shipping money by printing and binding the materials near to their consumers. When shipping prices really start to go up, electronic books and downloaded movies will be a big win.<p>The increase in shipping costs from on-demand factories in Asia will affect the cost of laptops.<p>More importantly: There will be growth in the market for software to support factories in the USA and Mexico.<p>There will also be a lot more to gain from inventory control techniques that prevent shipping unwanted products. How about making software to help Fortune 5,000,000 companies cut down on shipping unwanted inventory?<p>How about an electronic market for extra space in trucks?<p>How about software and services that help truckers get the best gas mileage? Since engines operate more efficiently with cooler and drier air, weather information could help truckers to schedule their trips through cooler air. Real-time wind speeds and directions can help them avoid headwinds. A real-time database of gas prices at particular stations can help truckers shave off a few cents per gallon. Traffic info can help trucks avoid idling in traffic jams. A database of road inclination can help truckers take the level road instead of wasting gas going up hills. An online database of fuel efficiency for various routes and times could help them take advantage of unknown factors. A service could provide all of this functionality to small businesses that operate shipping fleets.