The Daily: March 17, 2022
Good morning, all. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. 🍀
But isn’t all beers and butterflies out there.
While a handful of global freight forwarders have already halted their movements on land to avoid any issues in Ukraine and Russia, the jumbled mess of new routes is causing more chaos in the supply chain. Europe in particular is feeling the immediate brunt of it, but the US is not immune.
Diplomatic tensions are strong - this will eventually increase the rates. What does this mean for you and your situation?
Today’s Featured Article from More Than Shipping will give you the low-down.
“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”
Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
Today’s Featured Article:
Freight Operators Are Seeking New Routes Around Russia & Ukraine (morethanshipping.com)
“Several global freight forwarders have suspended some services and shifted others from land to the ocean or air to avoid restrictions and disruptions in Russia and Ukraine.”
The Latest On…
Trade & Border Issues 🚢
Logistics is working hard to meet the essential needs of Ukrainians - The Loadstar
“Estimates from the United Nations (UN) have put the number of Ukrainian nationals fleeing the country at close to three million, but that still leaves some 40m to feed and offer care for, particularly medical care.”
China lockdowns hit output for Toyota, VW to Apple suppliers | AJOT.COM
“Lockdowns aimed at stemming the spread of Covid-19 in China are disrupting the operations of a raft of businesses, with more than 45 million people restricted from leaving their homes as the country faces the biggest challenge yet to its pandemic containment efforts.”
India fears more container shortages as new Covid lockdowns hit Chinese ports - The Loadstar
“Container lines trading on Indian markets have been working urgently to bolster empty equipment levels, but are now becoming concerned about the impact of sailing disruptions fuelled by fresh Covid lockdowns in China.”
Across the Pond: The European Transportation Market (March 2022) (talkinglogistics.com)
“I was asked by Transporeon (a Talking Logistics sponsor) to look at what is happening in the European transportation market and they provided me with access to their Transporeon Insights market data for additional insights and perspective.”
Fuel Tech ♻️
Solar trade probe poses threat to US projects, developers say | AJOT.COM
“A potential Commerce Department probe of solar imports from Southeast Asia has the potential to freeze investment in the U.S. industry leaders warned Tuesday.”
Hydrogen fuel cell proponents offer a 'third way' to zero emissions | FleetOwner
“Stakeholders—most prominently Hyzon CEO Craig Knight—fly the flag for FCEVs at Work Truck Week 2022, where the show was dominated by all-electric vehicles and their future in vocational fleets.”
TMS 🖥
White House Unveils Freight Data Platform Hoping to Bring Visibility to Supply Chain (gcaptain.com)
“The Biden Administration and Department of Transportation announce Tuesday the launch of a new data sharing initiative aimed at helping speed up delivery times in the supply chain, reduce delays, and lower costs for consumers.”
Regulations ⚖️
ATA, Freight Stakeholders Press CARB for Alternatives to Emissions Rule | Transport Topics (ttnews.com)
“American Trucking Associations is among the groups proposing that the California Air Resources Board consider supply chain pressures for granting the industry alternatives to certain regulatory compliance.”
Company Culture 🎉
'Work From Home' Is Much Easier Said Than Done | RealClearMarkets
“Some companies have the luxury of allowing employees to decide whether they want to continue working from home or return to the office, while others are leveraging WFA (work from anywhere) options to attract talent and serve as a sign-on bonus.”
Fuel ⛽️
Biden demands faster drop in gas prices as oil tumbles - CNN
“President Joe Biden is using his bully pulpit to call out the tendency for gasoline prices to go up like a rocket when oil spikes, but only drop like a feather when crude crashes.”
How to cushion the financial hit from sky-high gas prices | AP News
“Any motorist who has had to fill up lately could be forgiven for wincing in disbelief.”
Network Association 🤝
Zebra bulks up automation systems catalog with $875 million deal to buy Matrox Imaging | DC Velocity
“Supply chain technology provider Zebra Technologies Corp. today announced plans to acquire the machine vision component and system developer Matrox Imaging for $875 million in a bid to expand its offerings in automation technology.”
Private equity investors show continued appetite for trucking fleets | DC Velocity
“Transport Investments buys SmartWay Transportation, as Buske Logistics is acquired by investors.”
Artificial Intelligence 🤖
Yara Birkeland, World's First Electric Autonomous Cargo Ship, Has Landed (morethanshipping.com)
“Due to the fight against climate change, there are great changes in many sectors. The maritime industry, which causes significant carbon emissions, is trying to keep up with this change.”
Covid-19 😷
New Omicron Curbs Bite Chinese Ports (gcaptain.com)
“The queues of container ships outside major Chinese ports are lengthening by the day as COVID-19 outbreaks in manufacturing export hubs threaten to unleash a fresh wave of global supply chain shocks, ship owners, logistics firms and analysts say.”
Trucker’s Lounge 🧢
77 year old comes out of retirement to earn his CDL (cdllife.com)
“A retired corporate pilot is proving that age is just a number by enrolling in a Georgia technical college to earn his commercial driver’s license (CDL).”
Diversity 🤜🏻🤛🏿
Have We Increased the Presence of Women in Trucking?
“March is Women’s History Month and the Women In Trucking Association was formed in March of 2007. Now, fourteen years later, have we advanced our mission to ‘encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, address obstacles, and promote accomplishments?’”
Where are you going? There’s more!
“Magdeburg in former East Germany is famous for its towering gothic cathedral, and not a lot else. It’s now about to play a key role in U.S. and European efforts to tilt the global balance of power.”
“Total February U.S.-bound containerized freight imports—at 2,528,809 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—were down 5.5% compared to January and up 6.9% annually.”
DOT Project to Tackle Supply Chain Visibility - Fleet Management - Trucking Info
“The Georgia Ports Authority is one of the initial partners in the DOT's FLOW supply-chain visibility pilot project.”
“The White House is focusing on fundamental freight operations as it seeks to untangle U.S. supply chains.”
TMC 2022 in Photos - Maintenance - Trucking Info - Page 1
“ZF parked a tractor-trailer outside the convention center loaded with product displays and technology demos, including OnSide Alert, L4ReAX redundant active steering, OnGuardMax autonomous emergency braking system, and a trailer connectivity solution.”
Watch: When Will the Vehicle Supply Chain Recover? | 2022-03-15 | SupplyChainBrain
“A discussion about the current state and future of the vehicle supply chain, with Shay Scott, executive director of the Global Supply Chain Institute, and a member of the faculty of the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at the University of Tennessee.”
“The folks at Cass Information Services and partner Tim Denoyer of ACT Research were out this week with their report on February US freight conditions, with carriers mostly having a good time of it again.”
Rise of the Industrial Data Scientist - Logistics Viewpoints
“While the industrial sector is undergoing a transformation driven by AI and the Internet of Things (IoT), simultaneously the workforce is shifting as traditional domain experts are replaced with tech savvy workers who bring a new level of operational expertise.”
Most Read Logistics Articles of 2021 - Inbound Logistics
“Items that need to stay cool range from large containerloads of fish to vaccines, and each requires special techniques. Here's how shippers stay chill.”
Report: Commercial real estate investment bounces back from Covid lows | DC Velocity
“Strong demand for industrial space continues; overall commercial real estate investment is expected to jump by 10% in 2022.”
The 7 Steps in the Strategic Sourcing Process (allthingssupplychain.com)
“With the advent of COVID-19 pandemic, supply chains and demand have been massively disrupted and are causing inventory issues, unclear delivery reliability, and a significant risk in single-source supplier circumstances.”
Port of Victoria announces plans for new regional logistics hub | AJOT.COM
“The Victoria County Navigation District announced plans for the Texas Logistics Center at the Port of Victoria (TXLC). Strategically positioned in a Foreign Trade Zone and Texas Enterprise Zone, the regional logistics hub is situated two hours from Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.”
“CCJ's Career Leadership Award program, currently in its 46th year, seeks to recognize maintenance professionals in the trucking industry who have demonstrated substantial accomplishment, involvement, leadership and contributions to the truck maintenance profession.”
Why every fleet decision matters | FleetOwner
“Any moves the trucking industry can make to make diesel cleaner and to advance alternative fuels for commercial vehicles is a step in the right direction.”
Preliminary U.S. trailer orders steady for third consecutive month - TheTrucker.com
“The order pace for U.S. trailers that closed 2021 and opened 2022 continued for the third straight month in February.”
The housing construction market outlook remains positive despite headwinds - DAT
“The strength in the housing market over the last two years has been impossible to miss and can be briefly underlined with price and inventory data.”
Yellow settles with Defense Department for $6.85M | Transport Dive
“Yellow will pay $6.85 million to the U.S. Department of Defense to settle claims made by the Justice Department in 2018 that the LTL carrier systematically overcharged the federal government for shipments that came in lighter and cheaper than what was paid for.”
It's the right time for 'Choose to Truck' - Truck News
“By all accounts the Canadian Trucking Alliance’s Choose to Truck campaign is knocking it out of the park.”
The hobgoblin of fidelity | Seth's Blog (seths.blog)
“My first computer game design was in 1977–I came up with a version of Star Wars. It was almost nothing like the movie, but it was a pretty good game for something running on a mainframe.”
Zelensky invokes 9/11 in pressing Congress for help | TheHill
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday implored the U.S. and its allies to “close the sky over Ukraine,” invoking Pearl Harbor and 9/11 and showing graphic images of the destruction and death wrought by Russia’s attack on Ukraine.”
Retail sales up 0.3% in February amid higher prices | AP News
“After beginning the year in a buying mood, Americans slowed their spending in February on gadgets, home furnishings and other discretionary items as higher prices for food, gasoline, and shelter are taking a bigger bite out of their wallet.”
Demand, Not Ocean Carriers, Causing Supply Chain Problems | RealClearPolicy
“Congress has a golden opportunity to solve the delays in the international supply chain, but so far, they are missing the mark.”
The Office/Peacock via Giphy
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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.