Crisis averted: railroads make tentative deal with three worker unions
Good morning! It’s National Guacamole Day. Time to celebrate with the best dip around… (don’t fight us on this.) 🥑
But in other news… crisis has been seemingly averted. While today was the deadline for railroads and unions to come to an agreement, yesterday a deal was hastily set in place that has made shippers around the country sigh in relief. With the threat of a railroad worker strike coming down the line fast, the rail system seems to have rushed to avoid a catastrophic supply chain mishap.
Check out today’s featured article from Supply Chain Dive to read about the swiftly averted rail strike and what a tentative agreement between the unions and the railroads could mean for the future of intermodal shipping. ☕️
Featured Article:
Rail strike averted as employers, unions reach tentative deal | Supply Chain Dive
“The deal is welcome relief for shippers who had warned that a shutdown of the nation’s rail system would carry catastrophic impacts.”
Leadership & Sustainability Goals ♻️
Shell CEO departs as company faces major pressure to shift away from fossil fuels
Ben van Beurden, CEO of the gasoline giant Shell, has announced he will be leaving the company at the closure of 2022. Regardless of incredible profits in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the largest oil and natural gas companies are facing major pressure to shift to more sustainable forms of fuel. After his departure, Wael Sawan, the current director of integrated gas, renewable, and energy solutions, will take his spot as CEO. Sawan has been with the company for twenty-five years and has been a member of its executive committee for three of those years.
Currently, Shell’s goal is to reach net-carbon zero emissions by the year 2050. Investing in renewable energy and helping to restore forests are the two largest actions Shell is taking to reach that goal.
Repair & Maintenance 🧰
Detroit bridge to be demolished after racially-divisive history
The infamous Interstate 375, a 1-mile freeway through Detroit, has been a notorious source of racial divisiveness since it was built by destroying Black neighborhoods almost sixty years ago. The Biden Administration has granted the city $104.6 million through the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law in order to transform the stretch of highway into a street boulevard instead. This boulevard will connect neighborhoods and include bike lanes.
This effort has been noted as part of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s mission of racial justice.
Let’s Get Global 🌎
📉 All good things come to an end. After 18 months of swimming in pools of gold coins, ocean shippers can expect to see profits plummet in 2023-24. But those dips in profits won’t be catastrophic, according to shipping sector analyst research. Regardless of the economic downturn, spot rates are likely to fall to pre-pandemic levels. (SC Digest)
🇨🇳 You’re so golden! Every Mid-Autumn, many Asian countries celebrate Golden Week. Golden Week, scheduled for October 1st through the 7th, is based on the Lunar calendar. Factories across Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, and Thailand will all be closed for operations until the week comes to a close. Some blame the approaching Golden Week as a reason ocean carriers’ capacity in the Pacific is shrinking. (More Than Shipping)
♻️ Low-carbon biofuel is all the rage. Shipping service Maersk Supply is providing the option to its customers as an option to lower carbon emissions. The product, called ECO Offshore, is being offered globally. The biofuel is a blend of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and marine gasohol, offering a great alternative to conventional options that pollute the ocean and air. (G Captain)
More to consider…
Let’s get sustainable with meat packaging. Packing food can create tons of waste, and while inflation raises the prices at the grocery store, more people are eating at home now than they have for several decades. Package advancements include using multiple formats to reduce weight and increase the functionality and usage of the food being purchased. (Food Logistics)
Money, money, money. Zara, the fashion brand loved by many, has raised its prices but the costs haven’t caught up yet quite yet. The key has been to keep customers in their stores and buying their items despite crushing inflation. The company’s strategy has relied to sourcing textiles from what they are calling “proximity markets”. (Supply Chain Brain)
Is a recession likely? Taking a peek at the United States Truck Freight Outlook, opinions are across the board. Normally, truck freight data is a good signal of what will happen to the economy. But after a long list of supply chain mishaps, it seems that the data is not the indicator it once was. (Trucking Info)
Tech 📟
Will Cloud Computing in Logistics Replace On-Premises Systems for Good? | Logistics Viewpoints
Logistics Viewpoints contributor, Bernd Stöger, writes about how cloud computing is being implemented in logistics companies and the benefits such a tech advancement can do for rapid integration.
Location Intelligence is the Lynchpin of Logistics | IOT For All
IOT For All contributor, Dan Hight, writes about how the pandemic effected global shipping, but enhancing location intelligence tech can be the key to overcoming those challenges.
CrimsonLogic’s digital solution for supply chain efficiency | Supply Chain Digital
Supply Chain Digital summarized CrimsonLogic’s efforts to address the trade ecosystem.
Leadership 🏆
Save The Supply Chain Leader From Groupthink | Supply Chain Shaman
Supply Chain Shaman Lora wrote a post about the dangers of groupthink and why supply chain companies’ leadership and management teams need to make a valiant effort at avoiding it.
Kimberly-Clark appoints former 3M exec as chief supply chain officer | Supply Chain Dive
Supply Chain Dive associate editor, Alejandra Salgado, writes about executive Tamera Fenske's recent appointment to CPG’s chief supply chain officer.
New Efforts to Unkink the Supply Chain [Commentary] | Trucking Info
Trucking Info contributor, David Cullen, writes about the supply chain front.
News Bag 🗞
Supply Chain by the Numbers for Sept. 15, 2022 | Supply Chain Digest
Supply Chain Digest shares a summary of some of the most pertinent topics in the supply chain this week, including soaring food prices and retails heavily investing in new technology.
Logistics global air, sea, road & rail news roundup | Supply Chain Digital
Supply Chain Digital contributor, Sean Ashcroft,summarized the latest news on the circuit about air, sea, and international logistics news.
Electric Vehicles 🔋
Small fleets turn to fleet-as-a-service provider to begin electric journey | Fleet Owner
Fleet Owner contributor, Josh Fisher, writes about the large investment in electric vehicles, but why fleets should consider it anyway.
Industry Forecast 📊
Equipment outlook: Analysts differ on whether the industry will see relief in 2023 | Transport Dive
Transport Dive associate editor, David Taube, writes about the differing opinions between industry experts and whether 2023 will spell out calmer waters.
Rail 🚂
Railroad union strike diverted, but not averted completely | Back The Truck Up
Back The Truck Up’s Rooster writes about why although the railroad strike seems to have been diverted, the railroads aren’t out of the weeds yet.
Cold Chain Shipping 🧊
Solving the Unique Challenges of Shipping Perishables | Inbound Logistics
Inbound Logistics contributor, Jim Waters, shares his thoughts on what shipping companies can do to improve cold chain logistics while moving perishables from point A to point B.
Air Cargo ✈️
Air cargo volumes continue dip, but ‘seller’s market’ may soon return: Clive | Supply Chain Dive
Supply Chain Dive reporter, Max Garland, writes about the slow drop in air cargo but the expectations that there will soon by a boom.
Business Strategy 💡
The Best Strategies for Ensuring On-Time Deliveries | All Things Supply Chain
All Things Supply Chain’s guest blogger writes about on-time deliveries and why meeting these KPIs is important for ensuring meeting customers’ needs.
Managed Logistics Meets Five Challenges for Complex Supply Chain Operations | Supply Chain Brain
Supply Chain Brain sponsor, BlueGrade Logistics, shares an article describing the complex supply chain operations many firms are facing and how managed logistics can help solve these issues.
Ocean Freight 🌊
AJOT contributor, Stas Margaronis, writes about the CEO and partner of Copenhagen, Denmark-based Vespucci Maritime, Lars Jensen, and the insight shared at the Intermodal Association of North America’s (IANA) Intermodal Expo earlier this week.
Fuel Tech ♻️
8 ways to improve fuel efficiency | CCJ Digital
CCJ Digital contributor, Alexander Dovgal, writes about some of the quickest adjustments fleets can make to modify fuel efficiency.
Sales 🧾
Class 8 Sales in August Climb to Year’s Best | Transport Topics
Transport Topics senior reporter, Roger Gilroy, writes about August’s record number of class 8 retail sales this year.
Artificial Intelligence 🤖
Grote introduces smart trailer technology system | Fleet Maintenance
Fleet Maintenance contributor, Tyler Fussner, writes about the newest 4SEE smart trailer system announced by Grote Industries.
American Politics 🇺🇸
Biden approval rises sharply ahead of midterms: AP-NORC poll | AP News
AP News contributor, Josh Boak, writes about the increase in approval for Joe Biden and his administration as midterm elections approach.
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.