Wide-scale EV adoption is facing one glaring problem: infrastructure
Good morning! Happy Friday. Kick off your weekend with a productive one.
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar, American author
The writing’s on the wall - electric vehicles are in. While many fleets are leaning into wide-scale EV adoption, there is still one glaring issue… are there enough truck charging stations to develop a fully-operational infrastructure?
Check out today’s featured article from Trucking Info to read about the challenges new EV adopters are facing when it comes to fleets finding adequate charging stations and what some leaders in the industry are doing to accommodate them. ☕️
Featured Article:
Challenges of Charging Commercial Trucks | Trucking Info
“Gearing up to drive onto the electric highway to a future of cleaner, quieter, and more efficient trucking operations?”
Safety & Driver Issues 🚛
TSC demands truck safety reform in top states with semi-truck-involved vehicle accidents
The Truck Safety Coalition (TSC), a group formed by members of Congress, is ringing the alarm after a “Deadliest Truck Crash States” report was released. The report was formed with data collected from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Center for Statistics and Analysis. The report states that since 2009, deaths involving a truck in a vehicle accident have increased by 66%.
The following states ranked the highest for semi-truck-involved vehicle accidents: Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas, Montana, Alabama, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Dakota.
In a TSC news release, policymakers were lambasted for not doing enough in light of the “carnage on our roads” and were called to action, demanding that the roadway death growth gets the attention it deserves.
Fuel & Inflation ⛽️
Gas prices fell, but don’t get too comfortable
For 98 days straight, gas prices had edged slowly down the scale after reaching an all-time high this summer. The is a record streak of a downward trend, the second-longest since 2005. However, unprecedented releases of oil reserves and weaker demand cannot fix the problem forever. Fears of a global recession do not seem to be helping the matter, either.
On September 21st, that streak came to end with an increase of one penny to the national average. While it may not seem like much of an uptick, it does signal that it won’t get much “better” price-wise than this.
Let’s Get Global 🌎
Going There Where Am I GIF By SoulPancake via GIPHY
🇮🇳 India is stepping up to the plate. The National Logistics Policy, recently announced in India, has been making waves. The policy aims to boost the country’s trade sector, which makes up approximately 14% of India’s GDP. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that this is the country’s biggest plan to ease supply chains and that the government is dedicated to carrying out the policy smoothly. (Indian Express)
📦 FedEx has given the world a wild warning of a global recession, but is that really the issue? Some are saying that the company’s shortcomings in dealing with market conditions are the real source of the problem when It comes to its failed earnings report last week. CEO Raj Subramaniam has placed the blame squarely on external factors, but its competitors in UPS and DHL seem to be faring much better despite the global challenges. (CNBC)
iLevel With You
More topics for the average American household to consider…
🎁 Need a seasonal job? Walmart is hiring! After 150,000 workers were hired over the 2021 holiday season, Walmart is scaling back a bit as they plan to take on 40,000 new hires for the 2022 holiday season. While some of the new position openings include permanent truck drivers, other jobs such as part-time associates and customer service specialists will be included. The company is now offering a potential $110,000 payout for first-year Walmart drivers and pharmacy workers are earning an average of $20 per hour. (CNBC)
💰 “Money doesn’t buy happiness”… or does it? Well, according to recent research, there does seem to be a close tie between day-to-day happiness and one’s earnings… maybe. Wharton School Senior Fellow, Matthew Killingsworth, analyzed emotional snippets throughout the day of 33,000 participants in a study and concluded that the relationship between happiness and income is strong, but there is no official “level” of income that changes the relationship between the two. (US News)
⛽️ Gas prices go down and EV interest follows. After inflated fuel prices left Americans panicking over the summer, the pleasant downturn in price has also depleted interest in electric vehicle adoption, according to data discussed on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ with Phil LeBeau. (CNBC)
GET SMART
Ramp up that brain power for these advanced topics…
🔑 Transparency and improving digital infrastructure are key. Former Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command and newly appointed to the United States Department of Transportation Special Port and Supply Chain Envoy, General Stephen Lyons, is highlighting the importance of speeding up the F.L.O.W. at port terminals. F.L.O.W. (Freight Logistics Optimization Works) focuses on the ports and maritime industry where the majority of cargo traffic congregates. (Supply Chain Management Review)
🛍 American Eagle Outfitters is leading the game on the retail chessboard. The retailer explained its new supply chain network and collaborative software platform at CSCMP’s EDGE conference in Nashville. After suffering from capacity issues in 2019, the retailer shifted focus to developing a network that would mitigate its dependence on national carriers and diversify its labor pool. Chief Supply Chain Officer, Shekar Natarajan, says that he believes this network model can be shared in the retail sphere and introduce many opportunities, even to competitors, to a wide variety of opportunities. (DC Velocity)
💻 Its been quite some time, but SCOR DS has been updated. SCOR DS, the Supply Chain Operations Reference Digital Standard, was developed way back when in 1996 and for the first time since, The Association for Supply Chain Management is giving it a facelift. Developed by a group of experts from diverse backgrounds, the new SCOR DS analyzes performance metrics and provides organizations with advanced way to improve its operations. (Material Handling & Logistics)
Business Strategy 💡
Why the rise of 4PLs is important to you | Supply Chain Management Review
Supply Chain Management Review’s contributor Matthew Becket writes about the trending business strategy of utilizing 4PLS or fourth-party logistics providers. A 4PL has a strong focus on technology and incorporates it into solutions to comprehensively plan and execute shipments for its clients. The industry is seeing many 3PLs morphs into 4PL services, launching companies into more lucrative operations in a volatile industry.
Editor’s Choice: Why Supply Chain Design Is Not a “One-and-Done” Exercise | Logistics Viewpoints
Logistics Viewpoints contributor Chris Cunnane highlights the critical nature of crafting supply chain designs and why it should be revisited often to avoid holes in the process.
Avoiding Dead-end Streets As We Build the Future of Supply Chain Planning | Supply Chain Shaman
Supply Chain Shaman’s Lora shares insight on why companies should focus on implementing a control tower and forecast sharing.
How To Overcome Decision Fatigue with Intelligent Software | All Things Supply Chain
All Things Supply Chain contributor David Stolzenberger writes about how often times intelligent software can give management too many options.
Industry Forecast 📊
A World of Hurt — Updated CSCMP State of Logistics Report | Supply Chain Brain
Supply Chain Brain’s Senior Editor Helen Atkinson writes about the CSCMP 2022 State of Logistics Report released at the CSCMP EDGE 2022 conference this week. The report was titled, “Out of Sync” and summarizes the continued volatility in the supply chain.
ATA: Truck Tonnage Snaps Back in August | Trucking Info
Trucking Info’s Heavy Duty Trucking Staff writes about the for-hire truck tonnage increase in the month of August after a weak July.
Supply Chain Dive Associate Editor David Taube writes about the varying outlook of the trucking industry and whether 2023 will spell out any signs of relief.
Ports 🚢
Long Beach Port Chief Sees West Coast Labor Deal Being Reached Without Strike | G Captain
G Captain contributor Bloomberg shares the sentiment from the Port of Long Beach’s Executive Director, Mario Cordero. Labor talks are still happening and he suspects that there will be no strike at the ports.
TMS 💻
R2 Logistics ‘bullish’ on LTL — and its TMS | FreightWaves
FreightWaves contributor Britni Chisenall writes about R2 Logistics’s director of LTL operations, John Hansen, and his thoughts on the current market.
Fuel Tech ♻️
The US solar industry has a supply problem | C&EN - Chemical & Engineering News
C&EN contributor Matt Blois writes about the domestic supply chain issues in the solar panel industry and how the bulk of production of silicone polymers lies with China, its largest competitor.
Leadership 🏆
CSCMP recognizes supply chain pioneers | DC Velocity
DC Velocity summarizes the award ceremony at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals Conference (CSCMP) in Nashville this week where two supply chain leaders, Masao Nishi and Beth Ford, were inducted into the Supply Chain Hall of Fame.
Electric Vehicles 🔋
Truck Duels Kick Off with Batteries Battling Fuel Cells for Top Spot | Supply Chain Brain
Supply Chain Brain published an article describing the competition between zero-emission trucks heading toward production. Nikola, Volvo, and Daimler Truck are focusing on hydrogen fuel cells, while Volkswagen is gearing toward the battery.
Watch Regent take its prototype electric seaglider out for a test flight | CNBC
CNBC contributors Lora Colony and Andrew Evers write about the unveiling of an electric flying boat created by the startup Regent.
Warehousing 📦
New Inventory Problems Expose Old Supply Chain Weaknesses | Medium
Medium contributor Yossi Sheffi writes about the variety of methods companies are trying in order to rid themselves of the inventory glut before peak season strikes.
US Postal Service pursues facility consolidation to reduce transport costs | Supply Chain Dive
Supply Chain Dive reporter Max Garland writes about the growing transport costs effecting the U.S. Portal Service and how Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is aiming to streamline its facilities.
3PLs 🚛
5 Modern Advancements Revolutionizing Third-Party Logistics | My Total Retail
My Total Retail contributor Heindrik Bernabe writes about the digital transformation occurring in third-party logistics firms as the adapt to new technologies.
Sales 🧾
Topsy-turvy times for used trucks | Fleet Owner
Fleet Owner contributor Scott Achelphol writes about the availability of brand-new versus used trucks. Regardless of your choice, high prices seem to be all the way around.
Retail 🛍
Logistics Management contributor John Schulz writes about the retail sector working hard to manage its inventory levels.
Economy 💰
Supply Chain Digest shares an article explaining the Cass Freight Index in August 2022 and why rates continued to fall despite the strong numbers.
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.