Are Jones Act waivers merely a political smokescreen?
Good morning! It’s International Volunteer Day 🤝 how can you make a difference?
“Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes.” - Margaret Wheatley
The New England natural gas market is hoping that policymakers provide the region with a Jones Act waiver to offset the incoming shortage issue this winter. The Jones Act - legislation that permits only American-made, -built, and -crewed vessels to move between American ports - had been waived most recently to offset the effects of a hurricane in Puerto Rico. However, some experts are saying issuing a waiver of the Jones Act is merely a bandaid on a bullet hole - and those wild energy policies are to blame, instead.
Check out today’s featured article from G Captain to read about one expert’s opinion on New England’s push for Jones Act waivers and why unrealistic energy policies may be to blame for unrealistic expectations. ☕️
Featured Article:
Opinion: The Jones Act is a Useful Scapegoat for Poor New England Energy Decisions | G Captain
“New England governors are clamoring for Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to support waivers to the Jones Act, a law requiring that cargo shipped between two U.S. ports be transported on vessels that are American-made, -built and -crewed, to “do something” about what promises to be a winter season of skyrocketing energy bills.”
Driver Issues & Congress 🚛
The Senate tackles the bipartisan Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act
Introduced on Dec. 1 by U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act lays out new funding eligibility standards and highlights truck drivers' personal safety. While maintenance costs are often an issue pertaining to expanding parking capacity, this proposed legislation would make routine maintenance costs eligible for funding.
This is similar to truck parking legislation that has been previously proposed by Representatives Mike Bost (R-IL) and Angie Craig (D-MN) in the U.S. House of Representatives in July. A significant parking shortage has been a highlight of the challenges truck drivers has to deal with on a daily basis, for years now. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 98% of drivers experience problems finding safe parking.
Inflation & US Economy 🇺🇸
Inflation and hiring are head-to-head, and hiring is winning
David Blaine Inflation GIF By Public.com via GIPHY
Despite stubbornly-high inflation and slowing economic woes, the economy has added 263,000 jobs and kept the unemployment rate at a low 3.7%. This rate - a 57-year low - is baffling to some economists. The Federal Reserve has maintained aggressive interest rate hikes in an effort to stamp out inflation, and the labor market has continued to add jobs, month-after-month.
iLevel With You
More topics for the average American household to consider…
🫣 What happens after a truck crash happens? As it turns out, truck drivers are often easy targets for lawsuits, despite rarely being the party “at fault.” Trucking companies and leadership basis should form a response team for these situations. Truck drivers should also be privy to proactive truck crash training, and what to do at the scene immediately after an event.
🚧 Road project work zones should be safe for onsite workers and passing drivers. The latest infrastructure funding bill has sent road projects blasting through the country and construction work zones are continuing to pop up everywhere. There are approximately 29,000 new U.S. improvement projects in the works, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. Experts are sharing tips to make them safer locations for everyone in and around them.
📺 Television sets can be great gifts for truckers. Oftentimes, tv can be a great addition to a cab for a truck driver turning in for the night. Additionally, television sets can serve as a wide-screen monitor for security cameras outside the truck, protecting the driver while asleep or resting.
GET SMART
Ramp up that brain power for these advanced topics…
🧠 Sales and operation planning (S&OP) finds itself in a bind. Planning experts from EY & KPMG are stating that digitalization is changing S&OP. Paul Brody, Global Blockchain Business Lead at EY, and Mark Levy, Supply Chain Planning Advisory MD at KPMG, spoke with Supply Chain Digital on the topic.
🚛 The owner-operator business model may be in jeopardy. With the trucking industry being blasted by anti-contractor legislation and ongoing inflated repair and maintenance costs… it’s a very real concern for owner-operators across the country. Financing these small companies is becoming increasingly difficult.
💻 Fleet data is key to providing better driver safety. Fleet management technology helps improve vehicle health and maintenance issues by controlling costs and protecting employee productivity time. When a vehicle breaks down unexpectedly… it puts the driver at risk of injury.
Electric Vehicles 🔋
Tesla CEO Elon Musk kicks off first Semi truck deliveries | CNBC
CNBC contributor Lora Kolodny writes about Tesla’s long-awaited deliveries of the first Tesla semis to PepsiCo Frito Lay.
LTL 🚛
LTL tonnage declines accelerate in November | FreightWaves
FreightWaves contributor Todd Maiden writes about Saia’s Q4 numbers and how they represent the LTL market.
Transportation 🚐
Long-range transportation plans need to be grounded in reality | Reason Foundation
Reason Foundation’s Senior Managing Director Baruch Feigenbaum writes about federally mandated long-range transportation plans that should be remembered as they are developed.
Shortages 📲
Combatting the Chip Shortage with Cloud Adoption | Inbound Logistics
Inbound Logistics contributor John Gray, the CTO of InterVision, writes about the shortages of critical components such as semiconductor chips.
The Workday Dash is an aggregation of articles regarding the transportation logistics, trucking, and supply chain industries for November 28, 2024, from iLevel Logistics Inc.