The Daily: March 18, 2022
Good morning, folks. Happy Friday!
We all know that the price of oil skyrocketed last week, bleeding into the cost of just about everything. And although that peak has slightly dropped, the shock hasn’t yet worn off. Trucking is feeling the economic pain, especially with the shipping industry being the backbone of the American economy.
Can America continue to fight climate change, embargo Russian oil, AND sustain our standards of living? Are trucking companies really expected to fall on the sword, no matter what?
Today’s featured article from Real Clear Policy takes a stab at that question. ☕️
“You don’t need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea.”
Larry Page, co-founder of Google
Today’s Featured Article:
How to End Our Dependency on Oil Rich Dictators like Putin | RealClearPolicy
“Across the globe, peace-loving people are appalled by the dire situation in Ukraine. At the same time, the world must come to grips with the fact that Vladimir Putin took this violent course of action because he believed that Russia’s dominance of European fuel and energy markets would force the NATO countries to acquiesce.”
The Latest On…
Fuel Tech ♻️
Beyond a Buzzword: Fleets Lead with Sustainability - Fuel Smarts - Trucking Info
“UPS has placed a focused on the creation of more environmentally sustainable solutions to work toward carbon neutrality by 2050.”
'C’mon Man' Stop Sabotaging American Energy | RealClearEnergy
“Ask Joe Biden a question about rising energy costs and he’ll be quick to fix the blame on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin while sidestepping any responsibility for his own policy failures.”
Bridging the Gap from Traditional to Alt-Fuels - Fuel Smarts - Trucking Info
“With many fleets looking to "go green" bridging the gap between traditional and alternative fuels is a challenge, but not impossible.”
Network Association 🤝
J.B. Hunt and BNSF team will expand intermodal capacity over three to five years | DC Velocity
“Move comes as shippers look to secure capacity while reducing costs and carbon footprints, partners say.”
Artificial Intelligence 🤖
RaaS for Mobile Robotics in Logistics Accounts for 6-8% of Market Revenues | Material Handling and Logistics (mhlnews.com)
“RaaS allows companies to start or end mobile robotic systems at any time point and also accommodates changing product types quickly.”
Fuel ⛽️
Truckers asking Biden administration to revisit energy policies as gas prices soar | Fox News Video
“President and CEO of Ohio Trucking Association, Tom Balzer, joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the impact of energy prices on the transportation industry and consumers alike.”
Trucker’s Lounge 🧢
Two trucking company owners running for same Idaho House Seat (cdllife.com)
“The two men, 67-year-old Clay Handy and 47-year-old Ryan Cook are running for seat B in District 27 of the Idaho House of Representatives with the goals of representing constituents and finding common ground.”
Cab Tech 🚛
Morgan Shows Off New Concept Parcel Van, EV Body Concepts at Work Truck Week - Equipment - Trucking Info
“Mounted on a cutaway van chassis, the 16-ft. parcel van body is Morgan Truck Body’s most compact parcel delivery vehicle.”
TMS 🖥
Google integrates last-mile delivery platform | Commercial Carrier Journal (ccjdigital.com)
“Google on Thursday leapt into the final mile with the launch of an integrated suite of mapping, routing and analytics capabilities: Last Mile Fleet Solution from Google Maps Platform and Cloud Fleet Routing API from Google Cloud.”
Barcoding Introduces IntelliTrack | 2022-03-16 | SupplyChainBrain
“Keri Corbin, vice president client solutions with Barcoding Inc., unveils IntelliTrack, a platform for driving operational excellence around assets, contracts and inventory.”
White House FLOW initiative gets mixed reviews from industry stakeholders - Logistics Management (logisticsmgmt.com)
“Taking another step to address what it labeled “supply chain vulnerabilities and congestion,” in tandem with addressing “the longer-term weakness in our nation’s supply chains,” coupled with decades of underinvestment, outsourcing, and offshoring, the White House announced this week it is rolling out a new initiative geared towards a digital infrastructure to connect the supply chain.”
Trade & Border Issues 🚢
Congress nears agreement to revoke Russia’s trade status | AJOT.COM
“Lawmakers are on the brink of an agreement for legislation to revoke normal trade relations with Russia that could pass the House this week, the latest move in a series of congressional efforts to hobble the Russian economy in response to the invasion of Ukraine.”
The Fog of War in Ukraine Darkens the Global Economic Outlook | by Yossi Sheffi | MITSupplyChain | Mar, 2022 | Medium
“Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine intensifies the product shortage and price rise issues we have come to associate with Covid-19.”
War in Ukraine will take global economic toll, group warns | AP News
“Russia’s war in Ukraine will disrupt commerce and clog up supply chains, slashing economic growth and pushing prices sharply higher around the globe, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned Thursday.”
Drivers’ Issues 🚚
'A lonely profession': How COVID-19 took a toll on drivers' mental health | Transport Dive
“Two years into a pandemic that's left many drivers isolated, industry experts urge new support systems and more open dialogue.”
Driver shortage not the problem, Port of L.A. director says - Land Line
“The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has long disputed the notion of a driver shortage in the trucking industry.”
Where are you going? There’s more!
Elon Musk Has an Original Idea to End Russian Invasion of Ukraine (msn.com)
“It goes without saying that Elon Musk is a whimsical CEO. The list of his fantasies and declarations has grown ever longer since he established himself as one of the most charismatic business leaders.”
“A closely watched auto-industry forecaster lopped more than 5 million cars off its projections for global production this year and next, largely due to fallout expected from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Van, reefer linehaul rates fell last week amid diesel surge | Overdrive (overdriveonline.com)
“The number of loads posted to the DAT One load board network fell almost 11.9% during the week of March 6-12, continuing a trend of lower volumes through early 2022.”
“Large plumes of thick smoke soared into the air in Plainfield, Indiana, on Wednesday after a 1.2 million-square-foot Walmart distribution center caught fire.”
White House Pushes Supply Chain Operators to Share Data | 2022-03-16 | SupplyChainBrain
“A White House initiative launched this week is President Joe Biden’s latest effort to address supply chain bottlenecks that stretch across the U.S.”
Overdrive up for 5 Neal business journalism awards | Overdrive (overdriveonline.com)
“For in-depth coverage of various niches within the trucking industry and the COVID pandemic’s impact on those segments, Overdrive‘s Niche Hauls series was named a finalist in the Best Series category.”
Five Signs That Your ESG Strategy Is Flawed — and Five Ways to Fix It | SupplyChainBrain
“Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) strategy is becoming a growing priority for businesses across the globe".”
NRF issues bullish 2022 retail sales forecast - Logistics Management (logisticsmgmt.com)
“While there is more than a healthy share of uncertainty in logistics and the supply chain, one thing that remains certain, is the ongoing aggressive pace of United States retail sales activity, with consumers continuing to spend on whatever it is they may need, amid record-high gas prices, inflation, fears of a recession, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, among other factors.”
Supply Chain by the Numbers for March 17, 2022 (scdigest.com)
“Logistics Firms Commit to Planned Ocean Shipping Portal; Retail Sales Slow in February, Maybe Due to Inflation; US Apparel Company to Open Plant in Alabama; eCommerce Sales Predicted to Rise Sharply in 2022”
Canadian Pacific set to halt operations if labor talks fail | AJOT.COM
“One of Canada’s largest railways is gearing up to halt operations after failing to reach a labor deal with unionized workers.”
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.”
Another Evergreen Ship Gets Stuck, This Time in the State of Maryland (morethanshipping.com)
“It’s been a year since the world watched in nervousness and anticipation as Evergreen container line’s ship Ever Given became lodged in Egypt’s Suez Canal.”
Norway Refuses To Fuel Russian Super-Yacht (gcaptain.com)
“Norway refuses to bunker the Russian Super-yacht Ragnar but lets it plug into power ‘so they’re not freezing to death.”
“John O’Leary’s first year as CEO of Daimler Truck North America has been an eventful one.”
A. Duie Pyle expands into Virginia | Transport Dive
“A. Duie Pyle, a for-hire LTL carrier, will open three new facilities, expanding its services into Virginia with centers in Richmond, Roanoke and Manassas.”
It's time to exchange screen time for more trade show face time - Truck News
“My March 2020 calendar is marked with a simple ‘wfh’, serving as a reminder to ‘work from home’.”
Daylight saving time bill passes Senate - Land Line
“A bill that would make daylight saving time permanent across most of the nation passed the Senate on Tuesday, March 15.”
Mom-and-pop shops desparate for technicians, parts: Fullbay reports | Fleet Maintenance
“Fullbay’s 2022 State of Heavy-Duty Repair Industry Report found many independent shops are hurting themselves by not increasing technician wages or charging for DOT inspections.”
How should we celebrate your day? | Seth's Blog (seths.blog)
“If today was a holiday in your honor, what would it be about?”
“Supply-chain headaches for some retailers are turning into inventory windfalls for others.”
Federal Reserve hikes interest rates for the first time since 2018 - CNN
“The Federal Reserve is raising interest rates for the first time since 2018, the central bank announced Wednesday at the conclusion of its highly anticipated two-day monetary policy meeting.”
Zelenskiy wants to shame the west into action. Will it work? | Moira Donegan | The Guardian
“The contrast between what the Ukrainian president has been willing to do, and what western leaders have been willing to do to help, is the source of his moral power.”
Inflation Isn't Going Back to Normal This Year (slate.com)
“Since the start of this year, one of the biggest questions hanging over the economy was just how aggressively the Federal Reserve would move to try and bring down inflation.”
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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.