International Energy Agency warns of growing global energy crisis
Good morning! Happy National French Fry Day 🍟
The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Executive Director Fatih Birol, spoke Tuesday at a global energy forum in Sydney, Australia. Birol shared the agency’s fears that crippling shortages and surging fuel and energy prices will only continue to compound.
Check out today’s featured article from Supply Chain Brain to read about the International Energy Agency’s dire warnings and what it could mean for the transportation industry moving forward. ☕️
Featured Article:
Global Energy Crisis May Get Worse, IEA Warns | Supply Chain Brain
“A global squeeze on energy supply that’s triggered crippling shortages and sent power and fuel prices surging may get worse, according to the head of the International Energy Agency.”
Water Cooler Topics
🛳 Nearly $300 million in grants has been awarded by the Biden Administration to fund the improvement and expansion of ferry services across the country. The Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) supplied the funds to various facets of the nation’s maritime networks through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The three programs are the Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program, the Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot Program, and the Passenger Ferry Grant Program.
🇨🇦 Canada is preparing to enforce electronic logging device (ELD) rules for motor carriers on January 1, 2023. The action comes after a significant delay when it was supposed to be put into effect in June of 2021. The Canadian Trucking Alliance is highly supportive of the ELD mandate and expects that there will be no further delays after the new year. The number of approved ELD devices and vendors has grown significantly since the mandate was announced.
⛽️ Diesel prices continue to decline for the fourth week in a row, albeit very slowly. With the national average now $5.568 a gallon, the price of diesel is down a total of 24.2 cents in the past month. this however remains at $2.23 per gallon more than a year ago, a record-high. There are positive indicators regarding the price of oil, but it hasn’t quite translated there yet.
CA trucking industry asked Gov. Newsom for delay in AB5 compliance
The California Trucking Association along with 70+ industry groups are asking California Governor Gavin Newsom for additional time to prepare the trucking industry to comply with AB5 law. Earlier this month the Supreme Court denied review of the controversial law, revoking the injunction set upon the trucking industry in the state. The law will effectively require carriers to reclassify owner-operators as employees to haul any further loads.
The CTA points out that more than 70,000 drivers in the state will be sidelined by AB5, causing a huge strain on the already feathered supply chain issue in the state.
Fuel ⛽️
“The rise in fuel costs, especially diesel, is significantly impacting the bottom line of many B2B companies such as distributors and wholesalers.”
Shortages 🛒
From Smartphones to Cars, Chip Supply Woes Baffle Investors | Supply Chain Brain
“It’s getting complicated for investors in semiconductor stocks, with last year’s big chip shortage morphing into an inventory glut for some companies, and others getting caught up in geopolitics.”
Forest fires and chassis shortage sees NAM port congestion rise again | The Loadstar
“Ocean carriers are warning of worsening congestion at the Canadian west coast port of Vancouver, while US east coast ports continue to be overwhelmed with import boxes.”
Business Strategy 💡
Top 10: Supply chain vendor collaboration strategies | Supply Chain Digital
‘As retailers and brands face supply chain disruption, inflation & net-zero deadlines, collaboration with suppliers is more vital than ever to profitability.”
Four Pain Points — and Remedies — for Supply Chains Right Now | Supply Chain Brain
“Numerous geopolitical factors, from conflict in Ukraine to the pandemic-related lockdown in China, have placed unprecedented pressure on the globalized trade system.”
Third-party supply risk 'key to survival' - Refinitiv report | Supply Chain Digital
“The American-British global provider of financial market data and infrastructure, Refinitiv, has published a paper on how 3rd party is a key to survival".”
Covid-19 😷
Supply chains: How the pandemic may lead more manufacturers to the U.S. | Finance.Yahoo
“More and more U.S. companies are moving their production and manufacturing facilities back home due to the pandemic supply chain snarls and the insufficient production abroad.”
Fuel Tech ♻️
Coming to Grips with Sustainability in the Supply Chain | MHL News
“Covid-19 has instigated significant changes in global procurement and supply chain operations.”
Trade & Border Issues 🗺
Could The U.S. Ship More LNG To Europe? | G Captain
“The United States, the world’s top natural gas producer, wants to send more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe to help its allies break their dependence on Russian gas after Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.”
Global shipping wants to go green. But a lack of fuel is derailing its best-laid plans | CNBC
“Shipping companies will need adequate amounts of green methanol or other greener fuels to power these ships to make a meaningful difference to their carbon footprint.”
Maintenance & Repair 🧰
Wheel-end monitors: Tech that helps avoid costly ‘thermal events’ | Fleet Owner
“Wheel ends are among the highest friction points on any tractor-trailer.”
Sales 🧾
Amazon Prime Day Comes Amid Slowdown in Online Sales Growth | TT News
“Amazon is heading into its annual Prime Day sales event today much differently from how it entered the pandemic.”
Safety 🦺
Upcoming movie exposes the issue of human trafficking in the trucking industry | Landline Media
“An unsavory side of the trucking industry – human trafficking – will be the center of a future motion picture.”
Network Association 🤝
XPO says planned spin-off will be called RXO | DC Velocity
“3PL takes next step in plans to separate its brokered transportation business from its LTL business, creating a standalone tech-enabled platform for truck brokerage services in North America.”
“Supply chain management company Redwood Logistics has announced a partnership with Cloverly, a firm that provides access to carbon credits to offset the impact of emissions from the transportation and logistics industry.”
Artificial Intelligence 🤖
Alert Innovation jumps to expanded HQ site to meet hot demand for AS/RS | DC Velocity
“Robotics startup sees fast growth thanks to contract to build micro-fulfillment centers in Walmart stores nationwide.”
Driverless Cars Face Trailblazing New Regulations in China | IOT World Today
“New rules are expected to encourage manufacturers to intensify efforts to bring more AVs to market/”
Einride Ready to Test Autonomous Trucks on U.S. Roads | More Than Shipping
“Within weeks, driverless electric freight trucks may be traveling on public roads in the U.S. for the first time.”
Owner-Operators 🚛
“About 70,000 truck owner-operators who form the bedrock of California’s transport industry are in limbo as state-level labor rules start applying to them, creating another choke point in stressed U.S. supply chains.”
Industry Forecast 📊
“Ocean container rates are at long last pulling back, but not so much to stop carriers from making outsized profits, and it will take some time return to a more normal rate environment, in continued bad news for global shippers.”
Electric Vehicles 🔋
Walmart to buy electric vehicle fleet for last-mile deliveries | Axios
“Walmart has a definitive agreement to buy 4,500 electric delivery vehicles from Canoo, the two companies announced Tuesday morning.”
Compliance 📋
'Common violations': Preparing for Brake Safety Week's focus on brake hose chafing | CCJ Digital
“As the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Brake Safety Week approaches next month, experts offered insights and tips into one of the more common violations: brake hose chafing.”
Brokerage 📞
Freight Market Volatility Highlights Importance of Broker-Carrier Relationships | TT News
“The freight market volatility of the past few years has created an even greater need for carriers and brokers to strengthen their business relationships, especially as uncertainty and supply chain disruptions persist.”
Driver Issues 🚛
Perspective: Winning Arguments to Attract New Drivers | TT News
“As the American workforce continues to experience major shifts and fluxes, there’s an opportunity for those of us in the trucking and logistics industries to attract new drivers and workers looking for a post-pandemic change.”
Inflation 💸
Small business sentiment plunges to 48-year low as inflation worries mount | Fox Business
“34% of small business owners said rising prices are their single most important problem.”
“Over the last year, Americans have become all too familiar with supply chain issues.”
Quote of the Day:
“Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.”
— Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks
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.