Crunch time for US carriers as Christmas nears

Memphis, Tennessee

DONNER Pass, the icy stretch of road that cuts through the Sierra Nevada mountains, is about 3,200 kilometres away from FedEx's world hub in Memphis.

But as the holiday delivery season hits its peak, dispatchers here are keeping an eagle eye on weather conditions along the pass: Any trouble could make it impenetrable for the carrier's trucks, closing a crucial route out of California.