Congress seeks to limit railroad pricing power during emergencies
Good morning! It’s National S’mores Day. That’s as good a reason as any to whip out some marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars tonight after dinner. Just like summer camp!
But enough about sweet treats…
Congress is reviewing a new legislative package aimed at the nation’s railroads. The “Freight Rail shipping Fair Market Act”, currently being assessed by the House of Representatives, has been written to allow shippers to scrutinize fines posed by the railroads due to significant delays. It would also extend additional power to the regulatory oversight of the railroads, urging the shipping monoliths to address consistent rail services concerns.
Check out today’s featured article from Supply Chain Dive to read about the developing legislation being discussed in Congress regarding railroad rates and what they will or will not be permitted to do during times of national or local crisis. ☕️
Featured Article:
Lawmakers seek to ban railroads from raising rates during service emergencies - Supply Chain Dive
“Railroads would be prohibited from raising prices during service emergencies under a legislative package introduced this week meant to address the delays and high costs that have dragged down shipper operations for months.”
Company Culture 🎉
Warehouse worker satisfaction should be a manager’s priority
Don’t neglect the warehouse workers - your company’s productivity does depend on their satisfaction. These are the employees that know the ins and out’s of the physical operations and they are likely some of the best sources of feedback that upper management can rely upon to improve its supply chain.
There are plenty of quick and easy adjustments to be made to boost morale and productivity. Most will require small, incremental steps forward each day. Picking, shipping, and delivery are all about paying attention to detail on daily management fragments. Companies should reward employees who provide effective strategies forward and welcome the input of those who will also benefit from the success of operations.
Health & Safety 🦺
Forklift safety advances with new senor technology additions
From telematics and virtual reality (VR) training, new tech solutions are arriving on the market are a rapid pace. Sensor-based solutions are being posed as a necessity to avoid accidents in the workplace with lifts that are constantly navigating loading docks. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are joining the human workforce as well, adding a new layer of safety requirements in regards to increasing foot traffic on the floor of a warehouse.
First-generation telematics often is reactive, but the new age of telematics will instead be predicting accidents before they occur.
Let’s Get Global 🌎
Bill Nye Spinning GIF By Nike via GIPHY
🌐 It’s no secret that retailers have been stockpiling huge amounts of goods to meet the growing consumer demand - but that story has been rapidly changing. Now, retailers across the globe are finding themselves swamped with too much inventory as demand shrinks due to the rapid inflation rate and economic concerns. Companies are being forced to reevaluate inventory management practices in order to ensure the massive inventory glut isn’t a lost cause. However, these amendments will only be effective if international suppliers are also on board. Transforming the supply chain will require efforts from every sector.
🪧 The Port of Felixstowe in the United Kingdom is likely to set to be closed due to union workers striking at the facility towards the end of August. The U.K.’s largest union, Unite, represents 1,800 dockworkers at the port who have advised they will be protesting from August 21st through the 29th. The pro-strike union vote, won with 92% of the 80% turnout, resulted after a lack of progress made with arbitration between the workers and the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company. Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company offered a 5% pay increase to the workers, however, the union officials claim that a pay increase of this size would be useless as the U.K.’s real rate of inflation currently sits at over 11%.
🌊 The Rhine River in Germany is a major shipping corridor for Central Europe, and it’s slowly drying up. Facing the hottest temperatures on record for the region, the river is also suffering from a significant lack of rainfall. Full cargo hauls have been unable to utilize the typically regularly-used waterways for fear of scraping the bottom because of weight. The water level of the Rhine has been known to fluctuate, but the current state at this time of year has perplexed experts. German Transport Minister Volker Wissing has suggested shifting shipping traffic to the roads and train tracks instead.
Driver Issues 🚛
ATA is betting on the young driver apprenticeship program
In every state except Hawaii, men and women ages 18+ are eligible to obtain an intrastate commercial driver’s license to operate big rigs within state lines. However, truckers under the age of 21 are banned from crossing state lines due to age-old federal regulations. These regulations - most of which were implemented before the U.S. highway system came into play - are a huge headache in the trucking industry. Why is an 18-year-old able to drive the length of Texas in an 18-wheeler, but cannot cross into Oklahoma unless they’re operating a Kia Sentra?
The American Trucking Association is hoping that the three-year Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program will help lean these regulations in a different direction. The program will gather 3,000 CDL-certified truckers of the next generation and provide them with 400 hours of training for operating trucks crossing state lines. Once training is completed, the apprentice will be able to cross state lines under the program’s purview until they are 21 years of age and can do so with their normal CDL.
Business Strategy 💡
Loup Transloading Network: Creative Shipping Solutions Expand Market Reach - Inbound Logistics
“One of the leading roofing manufacturers in North America moves locally manufactured roofing shingles from a non-rail-served facility in the Inland Empire to Utah.”
Overcoming The Barriers to Use Channel Data - Supply Chain Shaman
“I remember the evening well.”
Health ⛑
UPS continues investments in lucrative healthcare arm - DC Velocity
“Acquisition of Italy’s Bomi Group will add temperature-controlled pharmaceutical warehouses in 14 countries.”
Trade & Border Issues 🗺
International Supply Chain Trends And Challenges - Talking Logistics
“Over halfway through 2022, we are still dealing with significant risk and uncertainty in supply chain management.”
Ukraine and Russia Agree to Protect Grain Ships in the Black Sea - G Captain
“Ships exporting Ukraine grain through the Black Sea will be protected by a 10 nautical mile buffer zone, according to long-awaited procedures agreed by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations on Monday and seen by Reuters.”
Ports 🚢
“For June, the most recent month for which data is available, import volume—at 2.25 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—was down 5.9% compared to May’s 2.4 million TEU.”
New Louisiana Port Project Looks to Expand Intermodal to DFW Area - TT News
“Developers and port officials in Dallas County, Texas, are talking with leaders building the new Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District/Louisiana Gateway Project to expand the reach of the budding Gulf of Mexico facility.”
Tech 👩💻
Small business software shakes up logistics industry - AJOT.COM
“Smaller scale logistics companies now have the ability to capture and share real-time data, critical to supply chain visibility — with the availability of logistics software that is tailor-built for the little guys.”
Your Must-Read Roadmap to Optimize for New HTS Codes - Flexport
“Every five years, the World Customs Organization (WCO) updates the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System—aka HS codes.”
Diversity 🤜🤛
“With multiple family members in the trucking industry at some point in time, Haleigh Fickett has been climbing in and out of trucks from a young age.”
Electric Vehicles 🔋
Turnkey charging infrastructure solution offers fleets an EV future at scale - Fleet Owner
“Voltera plans to invest more than $1 billion into fleet electrification.”
“In a pair of July 28 filings with California’s Office of Administrative Hearings, an official and lawyers for the DMV wrote that Tesla’s “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” marketing suggest the cars are capable of operating autonomously, when in fact they can’t.”
It’s possible no electric vehicles will qualify for the new tax credit - Are Technica
“There is no grace period, so credits effectively end once the bill is signed.”
Manufacturing ⚙️
Biden Signs $280 Billion CHIPS Act in Bid to Boost US Over China - TT News
“President Joe Biden enacted into law legislation designed to enhance domestic semiconductor manufacturing and alleviate supply chain bottlenecks.”
Inflation 💸
Small business sentiment hovers near historic low as inflation rages - Fox Business
“Small business confidence rose slightly in July but remained near a historic low as fears over white-hot inflation persisted, with the most business owners since 1979 reporting that rising prices were their single most important problem, according to a new survey published on Tuesday.”
Good inflation news: Online shopping prices are suddenly falling fast - CNN Business
“The world of online shopping was long immune to inflation until Covid-19 turned everything upside down.”
Would the Inflation Reduction Act actually reduce inflation? - VOX
“Three experts explain the impact it could have.”
Why the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ is no such thing - The Washington Post
“One of the more enduring fallacies informing discussions of the economy is that there are a couple of dials located in a vault somewhere in Washington that officials can turn this way or that to control employment, output, inflation — even the price of gasoline.”
Industry Forecast 📊
Interview w/ Justin Lim of Illumina Corp. - Supply Chain in Biotech Industry - iLevel Logistics
“Supply chain issues are generational - sometimes what plagues the veterans in the industry can be far and away from the problems of today.”
FedEx peak season surcharges target large shippers’ volume surges - Supply Chain Dive
“FedEx has announced its 2022 peak season surcharges, adding further strain on shippers who have weathered high fuel surcharges and selective carrier capacity this year.”
The summer of our discontent - DC Velocity
“Let’s not let history repeat itself a third time.”
Intermodal Slows, Declining in Second Quarter - Material Handling & Logistics
“However, domestic shipments held positive ground at 4% growth.”
“Netherlands-based UAB-Online is eyeing Houston for the North American expansion of its highly digitized information-exchange service for terminals and vessels in a move the company says will benefit the entire U.S. liquid bulk supply chain.”
Regulations ⚖️
Ports push House to pass Inflation Reduction Act following Senate win - DC Velocity
“National Association of Manufacturers criticizes funding, says “desirable elements” should be spun out.”
The supply chain regulators awaken - Logistics Management
“U.S. agencies are getting wake-up calls from Congress and shippers.”
Network Association 🤝
Can Rival Shippers Join Forces to Optimize Transportation? | SupplyChainBrain
“From time to time, some supply chain theorist, noting the persistence of wasted capacity in transportation, will ask the question: Why can’t shippers, even nominal competitors, get together and share available space on trucks? Then the idea gets shelved.”
Retail 🛍
US retail cargo seen cooling in second half as inflation, rates bite | AJOT.COM
“US ports will see less retail cargo entering the country in the second half of the year as economic growth slows amid back-to-back interest-rate increases and persistent inflation.”
Leadership 🏆
Supriya Iyer - Director of Supply Chain and Commercial Operations at Google - Supply Chain Digital
“Here, she explains what it takes to lead and who inspires her.”
You really can read a book by its cover - Truck News
“You really can read a book by its cover more often than you think.”
Artificial Intelligence 🤖
Uber Outlines Autonomous-Truck Hub-to-Hub Freight Model - Trucking Info
“Uber may have sold its self-driving truck division to Aurora, but that hasn’t deterred it from a belief that autonomous trucks and Uber Freight's digital freight network technology connecting shippers and trucks are a good match.”
Fuel ⛽️
Diesel prices fall below $5 a gallon nationally as the future remains uncertain - The Trucker
“For the first time in months, the average price for a gallon of diesel fuel across the nation has dropped below $5.”
Trucker’s Lounge 🧢
Ol’ hillbilly wives’ tales for truckers from the Blue Ridge Mountains - Back The Truck Up
“Old wives’ tales, folklore, stories and predictions passed down through the years are interesting topics while out on the road. And they can be helpful – if only you believe!”
Compliance 📋
Dealing with public opposition to new tolls - Reason.org
“The current 20th-century funding system disguises the real cost of building and operating major highways and bridges.”
U.S. Economy 💰
Americans Are Correct to Be Instinctively Terrified of the IRS - National Review
“Markowitz suggests that those who are worried about being audited by the IRS should just make sure that they are truthful on their return. ‘Don’t lie,’ he suggests.”
American Politics 🇺🇸
The extraordinary political storm unleashed by the FBI search of Trump's Florida resort - CNN
“The FBI search of Donald Trump's Florida resort is an extraordinary, historic development given that it targeted a former President of the United States and set off a political uproar he could use to stoke his likely 2024 White House bid.”
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.