Wyoming takes aim at EVs, proposes phase-out plan by 2035
Good morning! Welcome to another edition of our daily newsletter on logistics and transportation management. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and let's dive into the world of supply chain logistics together. 🚛💨
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Wyoming boasts some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the United States. The state also happens to be home to a large part of the domestic oil and gas industry, employing a large swath of the state’s residents.
Senator Jim Anderson and House Representatives Donald Burkhart and Bill Henderson have announced the “Phasing out new electric vehicles sales by 2035” bill - the title saying it all. The legislators are citing Wyoming’s pride in its oil and gas production and the concerns the state has in order to comply with President Joe Biden’s goals to have ½ of all vehicles sold in 2030 be zero-emission. Wyoming would have to install an enormous amount of charging stations along its highway systems and implement a system to supply electricity to those stations. The task would be monumental, to say the least.
Check out today’s featured article from Fox Business to read about the latest coming out of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and why the state - so dependent on gas and oil - could benefit from legislation that bans electric vehicle sales. What do you think? ☕️
Featured Article:
Wyoming legislators propose bill to phase out EVs by 2035 | Fox Business
“Wyoming legislators are pushing a bill in Cheyenne that could phase out electric vehicles by 2035, to protect a state economy largely fueled by gas and oil.”
Tech & Block Chain ⛓️
What kind of place does the Block Chain have in the supply chain?
Blockchain technology had taken off, and the supply chain looked for new ways to implement it into business applications outside of cryptocurrency. However, recent events have had some questioning its long-term implementation.
Smart Contracts are under the microscope of blockchain innovators and investors. This tech can trigger automatic transactions without human operations and would likely be a perfect fit for international freight shipments. Maersk and IBM Hyperledger collaborated to create these smart contracts under the name TradeLens, but TradeLens was short-lived. Last week, the news broke that the joint venture had decided to pull the TradeLens blockchain project.
Customer Trends & Food Supply Chain 🍨
The frozen food supply chain is on a roll
The head of Conagra Brands Inc., CEO Sean Connolly, is speaking up about the growth of the frozen food industry. In an interview with Bloomberg, Connolly noted the surge in eating at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the trend in frozen foods. Due to pivoting its focus on frozen foods some years ago, Conagra Brands flourished post-2020. Packaged frozen foods have been flying off the shelves are more people stay home - even for work.
Education & Supply Chain 🎓
Is a Supply Chain MBA a good decision for your career?
As always, depends on who you ask and what exactly you want. A Supply Chain MBA is a graduate-level program that would focus on the management of manufacturing, sourcing, and delivering goods to customers. These programs can highlight topics such as inventory management, globalization, data analytics, and operations management. If learning in person, these MBA programs often include case studies, internships, and opportunities to incorporate hands-on learning to help students excel in their field of study.
While MBA programs can offer great networking opportunities, career advancement, and flexibility - there is always a risk associated with every reward. MBA programs can be costly and prohibitive to many, often requiring large amounts of student loans or savings that could be allocated elsewhere. Also, there is the question of theory vs. practice: college programs often offer a theoretical understanding of supply chain issues that may not translate well in the real world in such a volatile industry.
Let’s Get Global 🌎
Speeding Evan Peters GIF By 20th Century Studios via GIPHY
🇵🇦 Florida startup is challenging the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal has long served as a convenient shortcut for ships crossing between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, making up a series of lochs that serve a plethora of ships each day. This shortcut surpasses the long journey around Cape Horn at the tip of South America, taking ships through some of the most dangerous waters in the world. Now, a Fort Lauderdale, FL-based startup wants to make that shortcut even shorter. Zergratran (short for “zero gravity transportation”), the startup in question, is searching for funding that would support the construction of a tunnel that would whisk containers underground with the same technology that fuels Japan’s famous bullet trains. This tunnel would be dug in Colombia, just south of Panama, and would send containers coast-to-coast in under thirty minutes. Does this plan have legs?
♻️ While America’s intentions may be good, fossil fuels aren’t going away anytime soon. Not just globally, but domestically as well. The federal government has segmented $400 billion to clean energy projects stateside over the upcoming years after passing the American Recovery Act and the Inflation Reduction Acts. However, the United States is now tied with Qatar for the biggest exporter of liquified natural gas and remained the largest producer of natural gas by a long shot. Coal cannot be forgotten either, as many regions turn to the source after energy disruptions due to the war ongoing between Russia and Ukraine.
⛽️ Sanctions incoming: the global diesel market is about to experience a shock to the system. Beginning on February 5th, the European Upon and its allies will be implementing the long-anticipated cap on the price of Russia’s fuel exports. This cap comes nearly a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and serves as a sort of international punishment for the actions. Sanctions are already in place for the country’s crude oil exports, but the cap on diesel prices has some sincerely worried about the economic implications once it’s official.
iLevel With You 🏡
More topics for the average American household to consider…
🗣️ From Twitter to Tesla, Elon Musk’s talk has him in some trouble. After taking the social media conglomerate private in 2022 (sparking both praise and backlash), Musk is now facing the fallout from an ill-fated tweet he made in August 2018. Tweeting that he seemed to have a buy-out for Tesla in the works, his words sparked a flurry of buying and selling in the stock market. When the buyout never manifested, investors were furious. Now, years later, Musk is facing the music in a San Francisco court where he is expected to explain himself under oath. This court appearance is due to the long-awaited beginnings of a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the Tesla investors at the time of the tweet. U.S. secretes regulators have already penalized Musk for the tweet with a $40 million settlement agreement.
👔 All eyes are on Pete Buttigieg. Being Secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation may have its perks, but it is not without consequences. The thing is… politicians seem to love the spotlight. Secretary Buttigieg has been in the headlines as the nation dealt with mass flight cancellations, supply chain issues at the west coast ports, and the near-nationwide railroad strike that could have caused wild disruptions during the holiday season. While the secretary has his critics, some are questioning whether the issues are really correlated to the country’s leadership in the division or if it’s a direct reflection of the chaotic nature of the transportation industry, itself.
💰 Small businesses are in for a rough year after Congress passes the omnibus bill. This new piece of legislation effectively cuts tax reductions implemented from 2017’s Tax Cut and Jobs Act, raising taxes while inflation brings the interest rates with respect to borrowing at a 13-year high. Small businesses will need to pivot and readjust (again) as they deal with the blowback during tax season. RealClearMarkets is urging small business owners to read up on the latest and start adjusting strategies.
Get Smart 🧠
Ramp up that brain power for these advanced topics…
🧑💻 Supply chains need to advance technologically in order to keep up with the times. An increase in demand combined with staggering inflation forced organizations to adapt in 2022. The outlook in 2023 is that it will be more of the same and a looming recession has everyone on their toes. Supply chain firms should be looking at new integration techniques, artificial intelligence recommendations, and advanced total cost breakdown details to understand the fluctuations in costs.
🛒 The last-mile delivery options matters to customers. According to a recent report, the 2023 Bring Barometer: State of Last Mile Delivery, cost-effective and flexible options are critical to securing a sale. Many e-commerce companies are suffering the loss of customers due to the lack of options once checking out, resulting in abandoned shopping carts online. Some companies are citing a challenge in the delivery landscape and that customers have become accustomed to next or same-day delivery.
🚢 Drewry is admitting their predictions were wrong. Months ago, Drewry foresaw that carriers would effectively manage capacity as rates began to fall. Instead, carriers seem to only be acting on capacity when they are forced to do so due to financial hardships. Carriers are now powerless against the whims of shippers.
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.