California desert may be the answer to the nation’s electrification problem
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Good morning - it’s Friday the 13th. 👻 Make sure to avoid all cracks in the sidewalk today.
But maybe there is a little luck on our side. The Salton Sea, the largest inland lake in California, sits at a low point in the desert. Once thought to be the next vacation hot spot, it has fallen largely to disrepair. However, it also happens to be a hotbed for lithium - the material desperately needed by a country that is aiming for mass electrification of vehicles.
Check out today’s featured article from CNN Business to read all about how this little ghost town in the desert could help make lofty electric goals not just probable, but truly possible. ☕️
Day Truck GIF By South Park via GIPHY
Featured Article:
This California desert could hold the key to powering all of America's electric cars | CNN Business
“The Salton Sea Basin feels almost alien. It lies where two enormous chunks of the Earth's crust, the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate, are very slowly pushing past one another creating an enormous low spot in the land.”
Water Cooler Topics
🛻 Toyota is spending $383 million on their US production of 4-cylinder combustion engines. This is regardless of the push for electric vehicle production across the nation and most automobile manufacturers, particularly American manufacturers. The majority is supposed to be allocated to Toyota’s Huntsville, Alabama facility.
✈️ Between March and April 2022, airfares jumped almost 20%. According to the report released Wednesday by the Labor Department, this makes this leap the largest monthly increase for plane tickets, ever. Experts believe this may be largely due to a significant surge in demand for flights this summer.
🍼 An American baby formula shortage has led Democrats to scramble for an explanation. The GOP has deemed the shortage “an embarrassment” and one of the most important issues the Biden Administration needs to address. Formula shortages are expected to continue for another 8 weeks, at minimum.
Employers are getting creative with hiring perks, attracting young workforce
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Companies are looking to broaden their offerings to new potential hires. Not only does it cast a wide net, but it also persuades some employees to stick around. Some new benefits being touted around are a “$500 happiness allowance” or parenting coaches.
At least half of the American workforce is working from home part or full time
Photo by Mikey Harris on Unsplash
Accurately evaluating the number of remote workers in the country is important for understanding the results of labor-market policy. While company culture and the underlying “mood” in an organization are still extremely important, studies have shown that hybrid work has a net-positive effect on productivity in the workplace.
As it turns out, some workers say that they would be willing to leave their current positions and companies to instead seek remote work. This revelation has promoted some companies to embrace a hybrid structure, even after previously committing to in-person workers.
Human Resources 📝
America experiencing a 'great shift,' not a great resignation, argues economic expert | Fox Business
“Milken Institute senior director Eugene Cornelius pointed to the labor force participation rate, which he said is nearly at pre-pandemic levels.”
Small businesses still struggle to find enough workers | AP News
“Some small businesses are still struggling to hire qualified workers, even as Americans return to the U.S. job market in droves.”
Driver Issues 🚛
“On April 26, a collection of anti-highway groups announced the formation of the Freeway Fighters Network.”
Ports 🚢
“On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced an additional $234.4 million, for a total of $684.3 million in grants, would be available for Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grants.”
Ocean shipping losses decline, but industry faces emerging risks | DC Velocity
“Report cites Ukraine war, the shipping boom, and other issues as growing challenges to the ocean freight market.”
AgTC urges ILWU and PMA: avoid West Coast port disruptions | AJOT.COM
“The Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) is urging the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) to avoid even a minor disruption of West Coast terminal operations as the two sides begin negotiating a new labor agreement.”
Port of Charleston Reduces Backlog and Sets Latest Monthly Cargo Record (gcaptain.com)
“The Port of Charleston in South Carolina set yet another monthly cargo record in April while also making “significant progress” with port and berth “fluidity,” i.e. reducing congestion.”
Electric Vehicles 🔋
“New research conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute found that battery-electric Class 8 trucks may not be as environmentally friendly as many believe when considering the full life cycle of the vehicles.”
Truck OEM execs talk EV charging infrastructure pain points | FleetOwner
“Electric truck charging infrastructure confusion was a common theme heard around this year’s Advanced Clean Transportation Expo.”
Diversity 🤜🏻🤛🏿
Watch: Can Algorithmic Hiring Create a Fair and Diverse Workplace? | SupplyChainBrain
“Noel Anderson, Steinhardt Director of Leadership and Innovation, and Clinical Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at NYU, discusses how algorithms can promote diverse hiring practices.”
Tech 📟
Investment in Supply Chain Tech Still Strong | Material Handling and Logistics (mhlnews.com)
“In Q1 2022, the supply chain sector received $9.4 billion in total funding.”
“Amidst ongoing uncertainty caused by COVID-19 lockdowns in Asia, war in Europe, scarce raw materials and steep inflation, companies are stockpiling inventory as never before in the hopes of mitigating future supply chain shocks.”
Telematics help fleets reduce fuel costs | Commercial Carrier Journal (ccjdigital.com)
“Fuel is one of the largest expenditures on a fleet’s operating budget, and prices at the pump recently reached record highs, putting a dent in trucking companies’ bottom lines. But driver behavior can help reduce that expense.”
Fuel ⛽️
Industry professionals talk diesel market and its effect (landline.media)
“With diesel prices and in many other ways, the business of trucking is multifaceted.”
Inflation 💸
The CPI Rose at a 4.1% rate in April - Not 8.2% | Cato at Liberty Blog
“The Consumer Price Index was up only 0.33% in April, or a compound annual rate of 4.1% – the slowest since last August.”
Shortages 🛒
The Supply-Chain Crisis Has a Cause ⋆ Brownstone Institute
“There is no Cliff Notes version of why we are experiencing these supply chain issues across the world.”
Manufacturing ⚙️
Toyota warns raw materials costs could cut profits by 20% (cnbc.com)
“Toyota Motor on Wednesday warned investors that ‘unprecedented’ increases in materials and logistics costs could cut the company’s full-year profit by as much as 20%.”
Trade & Border Issues 🗺
EU Plan To Ditch Russian Gas May Cost $214 Billion More Than Planned | OilPrice.com
“The European Union’s current plan for eliminating its reliance on Russian gas by replacing it with gas from other sources could cost the bloc up to $214 billion more than originally planned, climate think-tank and organizations Ember and Global Witness said in a report on Wednesday, calling for faster renewables rollout.”
Tesla and Sony’s Problems Show Shanghai’s Big Restart is Faltering | 2022-05-12 | SupplyChainBrain
“The official line coming out of Covid-hit Shanghai is that business is returning to usual despite the ongoing lockdown, yet hundreds of manufacturers in the city aren’t operating at anywhere near to full capacity, if they’re up and running again at all.”
Fuel Tech ♻️
Behind the News: A New Type of Engine? - Equipment - Trucking Info
“Achates Power developing an opposed-piston diesel engine that meets CARB's 2027 emissions regulations”
The Chicago Neighborhood That Will Generate Its Own Energy (reasonstobecheerful.world)
“Take a stroll around Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on a sun-filled spring afternoon and it’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll come across Romanesque-style greystones, classic brick three-flats and the sound of children deep in an after-school game of kickball echoing from the back alleys.”
A New Way to Measure Supply Chain Climate Risks | 2022-05-11 | SupplyChainBrain
“AQR Capital Management, the investment firm co-founded by Cliff Asness, has come up with a new way to measure supply chain climate risks.”
Cummins Debuts 15L Hydrogen Engine - Fuel Smarts - Trucking Info
“Cummins displayed zero-emission vehicles and technology at ACT Expo.”
California Falls Short in Fight to Curb Emissions | Transport Topics (ttnews.com)
“California’s carbon market was supposed to be a model for the U.S., harnessing the power of capitalism to fight climate change in the world’s fifth-biggest economy.”
Health & Safety ⛑
Vertical Focus: Exercise Equipment - Inbound Logistics
“Planet Fitness is one fitness club company that has thrived in recent years, growing from 918 locations in 2014 to more than 2,200 in 2021.”
Leadership 🏆
Supply Chain News: Nine Lessons from Steady Work | SC Digest
“The following column comes through a special arrangement with the Lean Enterprise Institute.”
“…somebody else will.” | Seth's Blog (seths.blog)
“This is a great excuse for racing to the bottom.”
Business Strategy 💡
Reducing Overhead In A Supply-Based Business (allthingssupplychain.com)
“No matter what they do or what markets they serve, all companies have to worry about their overhead expenses.”
Turning Supply Chain Uncertainty Into a Competitive Advantage (flexport.com)
“Anyone who imports or exports finished products, supplies, or raw materials is facing especially market conditions with no end in sight.”
Prologis Builds Bigger; Auto Sector Slumping; Energy Costs Surging | Wall Street Journal Logistics
“Soaring energy prices triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are threatening global economic growth through 2022 and beyond.”
Yellow Narrows Losses, Outlines Goals | Transport Topics (ttnews.com)
“Yellow Corp. posted its best first-quarter results in six years as losses narrowed and revenue increased, the company announced May 10.”
Is the economic tide turning for trucking? - Truck News
“Truckers have been riding an epic wave of demand. But the tide is turning.”
KAG Merchant Gas enhances capabilities | Bulk Transporter
“Division’s Amarillo-based operation adds centralized scheduling center, restructures team to better support drivers.”
“Today, Small Business Majority released a scientific opinion poll that reveals most small business owners seek a more equitable playing field with larger competitors, particularly on digital platforms and in the area of contracts and agreements.”
Change or sustain? Balancing mindsets for what works, what doesn’t - SmartBrief
“I was talking with a colleague earlier this week about the difficulty of thinking about sustaining good work while also highlighting the need for change.”
“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”
— Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn
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.