Speed limiters: will it be a reality? Find out June 2023
Good morning! Happy Wednesday. Start your day right:
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great” – Jimmy Dugan, A League of Their Own
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) followed up on its 2016 joint proposal with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for CMV speed limiters with a new proposal in May 2022. The proposal has garnered 15k comments to the Federal Register, and it’s expected by June 2023, the FMCSA will announce its final decision.
Check out today’s featured article from The Trucker to read about FMCSA’s upcoming June 2023 target date for its final proposal in regard to commercial motor vehicle speed limiters. ☕️
Featured Article:
FMCSA set to roll out final speed limiter proposal in June 2023 | The Trucker
“The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is planning to unveil its final proposal regarding commercial motor vehicle speed limiters next year.”
Leases & Loans 💰
Truckers beware: leases that seem too good to be true… could be
Low-money or no-money-down leases and loans are attractive… even in a good economy. But with so much volatility and more people digging out of poor financial situations, they could be a lifesaver. Bottom line: do your research and make sure you read the fine print.
Today, we live in an age where information is available at our fingertips. Make use of it!
Midterm Elections 🇺🇸
These Democrats flipped House in 2018. 2022 will be harder. | AP News
AP News contributor Will Weissert writes about Democrat’s risk of losing Congressional seats in districts that were flipped blue in 2018.
Democrats’ midterm hopes fade: ‘We peaked a little early’ | Politco
Politico contributor David Siders writes about the polls suggesting that Republicans will take charge of the Senate during the midterm elections.
Marketing Approach 📲
Can an e-commerce business still rely on advertising in order to make sales?
It seems that building a brand that people will remember when they come across it is more important than the advertising process. Consumers crave an authentic and compelling story in the age of Amazon and other retailer giants. A vision and mission statement can make or break a company in 2022.
While raising prices is inevitable in the wake of inflation, there is a way to do it without driving away customers.
Let’s Get Global 🌎
🇫🇷 Oui, oui! Carmakers showed off the best and brightest electric vehicles at the Paris auto show this week, otherwise known as the Mondial de l’Automobile. The car markers are hoping to further reassure the public that these manufacturers are working on maintaining and meeting Europe’s massive zero-emission goals. Europe has stated that the region wants to completely phase out electric vehicles by 2035. It is expected that by 2025, one-quarter of all cars sold on a global scale will be all-electric or hybrid models.
🇦🇺 Looking for nickel down under? General Motors seems to have found it - after partnering with Queensland Pacific Metals. Per their agreement, GM will be funneling $69 million into the mineral company to source the highly-valued battery materials needed to create batteries for electric vehicles. A refinery is scheduled to be built in 2023, also providing GM the opportunity to collect on the tax benefits outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act.
🇨🇷 Pineapple, the fruit that can (*controversially) join tomatoes on pizza. The largest exporter of pineapple across the globe is Costa Rica, but it doesn’t come easy. From human rights abuses to chemical usage on pineapple fields, the fruit we’re enjoying at lunch comes with a price. What can consumers do? Some are suggesting not purchasing pineapple that had been cultivated in Costa Rica and hopefully, that will encourage change.
iLevel With You
More topics for the average American household to consider…
💸 After months of denying it would happen, the experts are flipping the script. CNN shares a report Tuesday from Fitch Ratings stating that a mild recession is on the horizon, due to hit the American economy in the spring of 2023. Inflation that just won’t quit and the Federal Reserve’s consistent interest rate hikes seem to only be fueling the fire. American households can expect inflation to stubbornly remain, but one thing remains certain: we won’t know for sure until it happens.
💻 U.S. consumers are growing less interested in brand-new electronics. There is a worldwide slump in personal computer sales - recording a decline of 18% in just Q3. Videogames sales are also falling, suggesting that after the last few years of school districts and families stocking up on electronics… things are starting to cool off. This doesn’t bode well for peak season.
⛽️ Today, diesel costs $1.668 more than it did at the same time last year. The national average price of diesel is slowly on the rise again… jumping 11.5 cents last week. According to the Energy Information Administration, this is the second double-digit increase in a row after five weeks of declines. It signals we may be in for more to come.
GET SMART
Ramp up that brain power for these advanced topics…
💿 Failing to manage your margins? This might be because the rules of logistics are changing. Demand is dealing with greater disruptions, functional metrics are no longer as important, and “planning groups” are not the key to forecasting success. Instead, organizations should be looking toward a digital transformation and redefining what supply chain visibility really means for their customers, vendors, and employees.
💰 Survey shows… financial leaders are worried. Rampant inflation and supply chain constraints are one thing, but the economy is dealing with a rowdy market. Many financial leaders believe these problems will bleed into 2023, and rising prices are the only way companies are going to be able to survive them.
🚛 Where’s the freight recession everyone’s been talking about? Nowhere to be found… yet. According to the September Cass Information Systems report, despite economic slowdowns elsewhere, freight volumes remain strong. The Cass Expenditures Index concludes its report by monitoring influxes in fuel costs, accessorial charges, and intermodal rate changes.
Business Strategy 💡
The Black Hole at the Heart of Supply Chain Management | Logistics Viewpoints
Logistics Viewpoints contributor Steve Barker writes about the methods used to optimize a supply chain, namely concurrent planning and tire visibility.
Kroger Bets $25 Billion on Bulking Up to Be More Like Walmart | Supply Chain Brain
Supply Chain Brain contributor Bloomberg writes about Kroger’s long-term plan to compete against the likes of Walmart.
Ports 🚢
Global Supply Chain News: A Look at US Ports by the Numbers | Supply Chain Digest
Supply Chain Digest writes about the top United States ports in terms of total container volume.
Maritime 🌊
New Patent for Visibility into End-to-End Ocean Documentation | MHL News
MH&L Staff writes about the new U.S. Patent No. 11,461,731, filed by FourKites in regard to unique ocean shipment innovations.
Trade & Border Issues 🗺
Journalists Film Nord Stream Blast Damage | G Captain
G Captain contributor Stine Jacobsen from Reuters writes about the team of Swedish journalists who went out into the Baltic Sea and recorded the damage done to the Nord Stream pipeline.
Leadership 🏆
Your autobiography | Seth’s Blog
Seth writes about the importance of recognizing your ability to write your story.
Human Resources 📋
Broadening the pool of potential drivers | Fleet Owner
Fleet Owner contributor David Heller writes about what fleets can do to expand their scope of potential truck driver hires.
Company Culture 🎉
American Airlines agrees to pay passengers $7.5M over unfair baggage fees | The Hill
The Hill contributor Zach Schonfeld writes about the American Airlines agreement with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas over $7.5 million in unfair checked bag fees.
All This Talk About “Quiet Quitting” Is Absurd | Slate
Slate contributor Alison Green writes about the trend of “quiet quitting”.
Rail 🚂
Railroads should give workers the benefits they seek | Supply Chain Dive
Supply Chain Dive contributor Eric R. Byer shares an opinion piece advocating for the rail worker unions and why the railroads should provide the benefits being sought in negotiations.
Regulations ⚖️
Trucking interests support DOT’s call for more safe trucking parking | Logistics Management
Logistics Management contributor John Schulz writes about the trucking interest groups’ approval of the Department of Transportation’s call to provide safer parking options and conditions for truckers.
Reason Foundation contributor Robert Poole writes about the environmental review process of major infrastructure projects.
Fuel Tech ♻️
How a Poly fuel Strategy Supports Shippers’ Transition to Fleet Electrification | Food Logistics
Food Logistics contributor Lynn Lyon from U.S. Gain writes about how fleet managers can meet environmental goals and target economic performance simultaneously.
American Politics 🇺🇸
Buttigieg, White House Promote IIJA Ahead of Elections | TT News
TT News senior reporter Eugene Mulero writes about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act being showcased by the White House before the midterm elections.
Maintenance & Repair 🧰
How to diagnose fleets' biggest after treatment headaches | Fleet Maintenance
Fleet Maintenance contributor Mindy Long writes about how fleets can tackle strange challenges in their equipment.
Inflation 💸
Is the stimulus to blame for high inflation? | Vox
Vox contributor Madeleine Ngo writes about why economists may agree that the American Rescue Plan worsened inflation, but the disagreement remains over how much of a part it played.
Sales 🧾
Fully Electric Vehicles Reached ~6% Of Auto Sales In USA In 3rd Quarter | Clean Technica
Clean Technica contributor Zachary Shaman writes about the growing amount of electric vehicle sales in the United States.
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.