Companies and individuals across the U.S. lost access to the Internet when DSL provider NorthPoint Communications shut down last week. But trucking appears to have been spared major disruptions.

Spokesmen for both the American Trucking Associations and the Truckload Carriers Association said they were unaware of problems among members as a result of the NorthPoint failure.
DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line, a relatively inexpensive way to buy high-speed Internet access over regular telephone lines. NorthPoint Corp. was a major wholesaler of DSL service provided by local phone companies but sold to individual customers through NorthPoint and a system of smaller retailers.
NorthPoint’s troubles boiled over after a proposed merger with Verizon Corp. foundered recently. A last-minute attempt to allow refinancing collapsed last week, leading to the shutdown.
Many small businesses scrambled to find substitutes for e-mail and Internet access. Most turned to traditional dialup service providers such as America Online.
On Friday, the NorthPoint web site offered only a letter from company president, Elizabeth Fetter, announcing the bankruptcy, and three press releases. The latest of those, March 30, announced the layoff of 700 employees.