Another rail union vote, another day closer to a possible national strike…
Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Let’s taco about it. 🌮
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” — Helen Keller, American author, political activist, and lecturer
Another day, another rail union vote. Two more large unions voted on Monday and resulting in SMART-TD rejecting and BLET ratifying the deal proposed by the railroads. BLEt, the engineers’ union, did say that they would honor the picket line if more unions voted against the deal. A rail strike is estimated to cost the rail industry $2 billion per day.
Check out today’s featured article from CNBC to read about the union SMART-TD rejecting the labor deal proposed by the railroads, edging the industry closer to a national strike that could result in major supply chain consequences. ☕️
Featured Article:
Large rail union SMART-TD votes to reject labor deal as national strike moves closer | CNBC
“Two of the largest rail unions diverged on labor deal votes Monday, with SMART-TD rejecting the deal and BLET voting for ratification.”
Electric Vehicles & Compliance 🔋
Increased electric charging capacity will be desperately needed for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles
Delivery vans will increase the need for charging upgrades in the near term, but the infrastructure needed to support the onslaught of medium and heavy-duty vehicles is another story entirely. The Electric Highways Study is a white paper that is meant to formulate a blueprint for the strategic construction of fast-charging sites along highway corridors for passenger vehicles and commercial trucks. Electrification is the obvious goal of the industry, but it won’t be as easy as 1-2-3.
The good news is that substantial capacity upgrades are feasible due to many of the highway sites in the white paper being settled near high-capacity transmission lines. Commercial vehicle electrification will require major upgrades if the projections are accurate with how quickly the evolution will pan out.
Regulations & Compliance ⚖️
CA regulators proclaim ambitious goal to ban diesel trucks at the states ports by 2035
Critics of California’s ambitious electrification plan for its semi trucks say that the state lacks the infrastructure required. But that isn’t stopping state regulators from shooting for the stars.
California’s trucking industry does huge business shuttling cargo from the body of west coast ports to inland depots. State lawmakers are looking to ban the operation of diesel-powered big rigs at the ports by 2035 and only allow electric vehicles onto the docks. This move would require 157,000 charging stations to serve the thousands of trucks entering and exiting the location each day.
Let’s Get Global 🌎
Cat Running Around GIF via GIPHY
🇶🇦 Qatar and China entered into a 27-year deal for LNG. Liquid natural gas has had heavy competition since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine resulting in many western countries announcing they will be cutting ties with the country as a supplier. This deal between the countries is the largest and longest of its kind, signifying more long-term deals to come.
🇩🇪 German civilian infrastructure is essential for military defense. So says, retired U.S. Army General Ben Hodges, who has long argued that cyber protection is just as important as the defense of missile defense systems to guard ports from attacks. Germany’s North Sea ports have faced some security concerns as the invasion of Ukraine continues. The ports of Bremerhaven and Hamburg have been labeled as some of the most important ports depended on for military equipment in the region.
🇯🇵 Japanese shipbuilders face a six-year low in container freight orders. The last time numbers were this low, was in January 2017. Currently, new building orders plunged by 80% from September to 217,740. Shipyards only received ten new orders in the month of October, down from the 15 orders in October 2021. Raw material prices have been growing, suggesting that despite freight market corrections, owners are hesitant to place new orders.
iLevel With You
More topics for the average American household to consider…
🛍️ Consumers are holding back from at-home deliveries this holiday season. Companies that focus on parcel and last-mile deliveries are no longer seeing the profits they did during the pandemic online shopping boom. Citigroup Inc. and Goldman Sachs surveys are showing that customers are shopping in person again and still holding back from blowing every dollar due to inflationary concerns.
🚗 Relief for the automotive industry supply chain will take some time. Automakers were brutally hit by the supply chain disruptions spurred during the Covid-19 pandemic and have faced massive challenges due to situations out of their control. Demand for vehicles began to surge in late 2020, but the industry could not keep up due to microprocessor shortages. While other industries begin to either settle out of seeing some gains after years of turmoil, the automotive industry is likely to face pain for several more years as regulations begin o evolve.
GET SMART
Ramp up that brain power for these advanced topics…
🚢 Containers a’plenty. The shipping boom during and soon after the pandemic seems to be coming to an abrupt end. Empty shipping containers are clogging the ports after months of surges over the past few years. It’s safe to say that 2022 lacked a typical “peak season.”
🛢️ Europe drilling for liquefied natural gas pockets at sea. In a bid to avoid further energy crises and to replace Russian gas with supplies from across the globe, Europe is creating quick and cheap fixes: small floating plants out at sea on old fuel tankers. So-called “floating liquefaction”, a new technology, is of great interest to Europe. Mozambique saw the implementation of a floating plant last week with cargo bound for Europe.
👾 Trucks can get hacked, too. Yoav Levy, co-founder, and CEO of Upstream - a cybersecurity firm - is reminding those in heavy-duty vehicles to protect themselves from such attacks. Having intellectual property stolen is a primary concern as it can lead to other crimes down the road. Fraud driven by monetary gain is also another major issue to consider.
Network Association 🤝
Supply Chain Management Review Staff writes about the new eCommerce processing centers and specialized warehouse teams being launched by FloorDound in North America.
Schneider expects 2023 intermodal boost from move to Union Pacific | Transport Dive
In this article, Transport Dive editor Larry Avila writes about the anticipated 2023 Union Pacific railroad partnership with Schneider.
Repair & Maintenance 🧰
Transport Topics contributor Steve Brawner writes about trailer manufacturers and the changes being made to increase the lasting ability of their products.
How tire monitoring cuts roadside calls and increases tire TOC | Fleet Maintenance
Fleet Maintenance contributor John Hitch writes about reducing costly blowouts and improve retreadability with smart tires.
Electric Vehicles 🔋
New York Program Awards $18M For Electric Truck Deployments | Trucking Info
In this article, Trucking Info Staff writes about the $85 million New York Clean Transportation Prizes program to enhance clean transportation in the state.
Leadership 🏆
In this article, Seth writes about the importance of investigating markets.
Bob Iger named Disney CEO again, replacing Bob Chapek, in a shock to Hollywood | CNN
In this article, Frank Pallotta writes about Bob Iger returning to the position of CEO of Disney, replacing Bob Chapek. This move seems to be out of the blue.
Sales 🧾
Holiday Sales Expected to Be Healthy | MH&L News
In this article, David Sparkman writes about the massive efforts that retailers are taking in order to draw in customers.
Concerns grow as US freight spot rates continue to drop below costs | The Trucker
In this article, the Trucker News Staff writes about freight rates continuing to drop below costs, causing much concern in the trucking industry.
Trucking Industry Heads Into Smoother Holiday Season | Transport Topics
Transport Topics staff reporter Connor D. Wolf writes about the “peak season” for trucking that is much easier to manage compared to the previous two years.
American Politics 🇺🇸
Congress Eyes FY23 Spending Deal in Lame Duck Session | Transport Topics
In this article, Transport Topics senior reporter Eugene Mulero writes about the main priorities of Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress for the remainder of 2022.
Truckers Lounge 🧢
FMCSA safety auditor indicted on bribery, extortion charges | Land Line
Land Line Staff writes about former U.S. DOT employee Patrick Gorena being indicted by a federal grand jury in Houston.
Rail 🚂
AJOT contributor writes about the differences in approach to union votes for railroad engineers and conductors.
Peak Season 🎄
Carriers feeling cheery about on-time holiday deliveries | AP News
In this article, AP News contributor David Sharp writes about the expectations of on-time deliveries this holiday season.
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.