The Daily: April 5, 2022
Good morning, Tuesday. Tacos, anyone? 🌮
Driver shortage this, driver shortage that…what’s really going on here? In the same breath, we’re hearing that there’s a “job surplus”… Maybe there are still plenty of truck drivers. They just don’t want to work for the larger carriers anymore.
Todays’ featured article from MSN dishes the details. ☕️
“You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.”
– Warren Buffett
Today’s Featured Article:
There isn't a shortage of truck drivers — they just don't want to drive for mega carriers anymore (msn.com)
“During the pandemic, trucking companies have claimed that there is a driver shortage.”
The Latest On…
Trade & Border Issues 🗺
Why Global Supply Chains May Never Be the Same | A WSJ Documentary - YouTube
“Every day, millions of sailors, truck drivers, longshoremen, warehouse workers, and delivery drivers keep mountains of goods moving into stores and homes to meet consumers’ increasing expectations of convenience.”
Biden’s Commitment For US LNG To Supply Europe Faces Strong Headwinds (forbes.com)
“President Joe Biden announced an agreement on Friday committing the U.S. liquefied natural gas industry to supply an additional 15 billion cubic tons (bct) of LNG to Europe through the remainder of 2022.”
Russia war could further escalate auto prices and shortages | AP News
“BMW has halted production at two German factories. Mercedes is slowing work at its assembly plants. Volkswagen, warning of production stoppages, is looking for alternative sources for parts.”
Ukraine Sunflower Oil Crisis Hits Food From Chips to Cookies | 2022-04-04 | SupplyChainBrain
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has disrupted the supply of almost half of the world’s sunflower oil exports, forcing companies to turn to less desirable alternatives such as palm oil in products ranging from potato chips to cookies.”
Supply Chain Chaos Continues as Shanghai Lockdown is Extended Indefinitely (gcaptain.com)
“The Shanghai lockdown has been extended indefinitely, a move that casts further uncertainty over Chinese supply chains, as new data is published showing the impact on China’s ocean freight volumes.”
EXPLAINER: Why is Europe balking at a ban on Russian energy? | AP News
“Shocking pictures from the Ukrainian town of Bucha and accusations of Russian war crimes are building pressure for more sanctions against Moscow. A key potential target: Russian oil and natural gas, and the $850 million that European importers pay for those supplies every day.”
Fuel Tech ♻️
Natural Gas: Essential for American’s Cleaner Energy Future | RealClearEnergy
“Across the country, the natural gas industry is playing a pivotal role in achieving our clean energy goals today, and is committed to making further progress.”
Cost-Disease Environmentalism | City Journal (city-journal.org)
“What happens when federal subsidies for low-carbon infrastructure collide with federal regulations against infrastructure construction? The United States appears intent on finding out.”
Leases & Loans 💰
What To Know Before Leasing a Car for Business (thebalancesmb.com)
“Many business owners lease cars for business use, as the attractive monthly costs and the ability to change cars frequently to keep up with new technology and safety features are appealing.”
Diversity 🤜🏻🤛🏿
Women In Trucking Association Announces its April 2022 Member of the Month
“The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has announced Jennifer Macalaguin as its April 2022 Member of the Month. Jennifer is vice president of engineering at Navistar, Inc. in Lisle, Illinois.”
Unions 🪧
Teamsters Chief Vows to Pressure Amazon After Historic New York Vote | 2022-04-02 | SupplyChainBrain
“The Teamsters’ new international president has pledged to step up the pressure on Amazon.com Inc. and mount its own efforts to unionize the company after workers in New York voted to form its first U.S. union on Friday.”
Amazon Loses Union Election in Staten Island | Material Handling and Logistics (mhlnews.com)
“The news that Amazon.com lost its first union organizing vote in Staten Island, NY, sent shockwaves throughout the news media, while the online retailer’s victory over a union in Alabama was only mentioned in passing.”
Electric Vehicles 🔋
Tesla sells 310,000 vehicles in 1Q, despite logistics issues | AP News
“Tesla delivered 310,000 vehicles in the first quarter, up roughly 68% from the same period in 2021, the company said Saturday.”
Artificial Intelligence 🤖
EVs Are on the Way, But Can AVs Keep Up? | SupplyChainBrain
“Advances in automotive technology aim to bring an end to the gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. Will the human driver be jettisoned along with it?”
TMS 💻
GP Transco TMS improves transparency, retention and profits | Commercial Carrier Journal (ccjdigital.com)
“A robot remotely controlled by an employee who could not attend a GP Transco (CCJ Top 250, No. 163) meeting makes its way into the board room in Illinois to take a look and say hello.”
Fuel ⛽️
Rising Fuel Costs Slow Spot Rate Descent | Transport Topics (ttnews.com)
“The rise in fuel prices is slowing a decline in spot rates while also potentially suppressing base revenue for some carriers, experts said.”
Insurance 👨💼
Take a holistic approach to reduce insurance costs - Truck News
“Insurance costs are burdening the trucking industry. In response, you need to take a holistic approach that focuses on “total risk cost” by controlling what is within your control.”
Equipment 🚛
The Chassis Problem: Conversation w/ C&K Holdings President Mike Burton - Bing video
“Join us for a conversation with the President of C&K Holdings Mike Burton, discussing some of the current issues plaguing the supply chain from a drayage perspective.”
Compliance 📋
New fuel economy rules will require a 49 mpg average by 2025 | CNN Business
“The Biden administration Friday rolled out final emissions rules that will require cars and trucks to have an average fuel economy of 49 miles per gallon in just a few years.”
Business Strategy 💡
Will it Scale or Fail? Read the Voltage Effect to Find Out - Small Business Trends (smallbiztrends.com)
“I have a ritual on Saturdays, I clean while listening to podcasts. One of my favorite Saturday listening podcasts is Freakonomics. In a recent episode, they interviewed John List about his book, The Voltage Effect: How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas Scale.”
Trucking Companies Bet on Intermodal Growth | Transport Topics (ttnews.com)
“Trucking companies are further expanding into intermodal operations for new avenues for growth.”
Customer Relations🤝
Anytimed | Seth's Blog (seths.blog)
“It’s not a word, but perhaps it should be.”
Direct-to-Customer: The need for dynamic supply chains - Supply Chain Management Review (scmr.com)
“In a world that has been disrupted by a global pandemic and now a European conflict, we have seen firms execute years of digital transformation practically overnight.”
Trucker’s Lounge 🧢
Dash cam video shows you what it's like inside of a tractor-trailer as a pileup is happening (cdllife.com)
“A truck driver responded to recent weather-related pileups by sharing a video showing how he managed to maneuver his vehicle through a pileup safely.”
Regulations ⚖️
Growing agreement that government regulations are driving up the costs of vital infrastructure - Reason Foundation
“With all the recent focus on infrastructure, the past year has seen numerous articles in the media along the lines of this Vox article, “Why Does It Cost So Much to Build Things in America?” The better-researched articles, including that one by Vox’s Jerusalem Demsas, focused attention on environmental litigation.”
U.S. Senate approves Ocean Shipping Reform Act, bill to head to conference - Logistics Management (logisticsmgmt.com)
“The Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA) took another step on its course to being signed into law, with the United States Senate late last week unanimously voted to sign off on it on a voice vote.”
Human Resources ✍🏻
Watch: Creative Ways to Alleviate Labor Shortages in the Warehouse | SupplyChainBrain
“Increased salaries may not be sufficient to attract warehouse talent, says Ken Ramoutar, chief marketing officer at Lucas Systems. Investment in technologies to make the work safer and more efficient is what's required.”
American Economy 🇺🇸
EXPLAINER: 5 key takeaways from the March jobs report | AP News
“Solid hiring, strong wage gains and sharp price increases are drawing more Americans into the workforce.”
Ports 🚢
Port Leaders Say They're Ready to Spend Infrastructure Funds | Transport Topics (ttnews.com)
“With the largest infusion of direct federal infrastructure spending set to begin, port leaders from around the country say they’re ready to begin rebuilding and upgrading their facilities to keep up with a record number of cargo containers moving through ports.”
Thousands of Russia-Linked Ship Containers Pile Up in Rotterdam | 2022-04-03 | SupplyChainBrain
“In normal times, the Dutch port of Rotterdam is like a machine: hundreds of ships come and go each day, and tens of thousands of boxes are loaded and unloaded from those vessels, all to keep Europe’s economy humming.”
New $90 million air pollution rules are in effect at POLB and POLA with a $10 per TEU fee - Logistics Management (logisticsmgmt.com)
“As usual, California is leading the way to cleaner air around ports with a new program expected to generate $90 million in new fees from trucks entering and leaving California’s two largest ports.”
Panama Canal seeking toll hikes of up to 8% on shipping boom | AJOT.COM
“The Panama Canal Authority proposed a comprehensive restructuring of its toll system on Friday, which would increase rates charged on cargo such as vehicles, oil and gas, and soybeans that cross the waterway as ocean shippers rake in record profits.”
White House Urges Ports to Work With Local Leaders to Secure Funding | Transport Topics (ttnews.com)
“Top White House executives urged port leaders to collaborate with their elected leaders and focus on projects that align with Biden administration goals as they strive to access a share of $1.2 trillion in federal infrastructure funds.”
Maintenance & Repair 🧰
Report: Independent repair shops desperate for techs, parts | FleetOwner
“Fullbay 2022 State of Heavy-Duty Repair Industry Report finds mom-and-pop shops are hurting themselves by not raising technician wages or charging for DOT inspections.”
Three tire maintenance strategies to improve fuel efficiency | Fleet Maintenance
“A close eye on tire spec'ing, alignments, and tire pressure monitoring can all greatly reduce a fleet's fuel consumption.”
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The Workday Dash is an aggregation of articles regarding the transportation logistics, trucking, and supply chain industries for July 31, 2025, from iLevel Logistics Inc.