DOL grants 15 more days for public comments on proposed employee classification test
Good morning! Happy Cranky Co-Workers Day… literally. Let’s try and put a happy face on today, okay?
“Someday is not a day of the week.” — Janet Dailey, author
It’s not a secret that the proposed country-wide test on employee classification is controversial - the DOL knows this. Maybe that’s why the department announced that they were extending the public commentary period by an additional 15 days, marking the end of the cacophony of opinions on the National Register as of December 13th.
Check out today’s featured article from Land Line to read about the Department of Labor’s decision to extend the commentary period from the public regarding the proposal to create a federal test for employee vs. independent contractor classification. ☕️
Featured Article:
Department of Labor extends worker classification comment period | Land Line
“The public now has until mid-December to comment on a rulemaking from the U.S. Department of Labor that would create a federal test to determine if a worker is an employee or independent contractor.”
Ports & Labor Unions 🚢
Labor deal still “months away”, but LA port director remains confident
The Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka is remaining confident that the ports will be able to reach an agreement with The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, regardless of how long it takes. The union represents 22,000 dockworkers on the west coast and has had some concerns that there will be a port disruption as negotiations are ongoing.
More than 70 employers are represented by the Pacific Maritime Association and have been negotiating a new deal since the expiration of the last on July 1st.
Midterm Elections 🇺🇸
Debate night takeaways: Abortion, crime and inflation dominate clashes across 4 states | Politico
In this article, Politico contributors Zach Montellaro and Olivia Olander write about the Tuesday night debates between candidates in several tightly-divided states, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Colorado.
Joe Biden: In 14 days, the American people face a choice | CNN Business
In this opinion piece from CNN Business, Joe Biden writes about how his administration has made progress over the past few years and what he plans to do is Americans vote Democrats as a majority seat holder in the Senate.
Warehousing & Company Culture 🎉
Warehouse worker satisfaction is more important than automation, according to survey
According to a ProGlove study, 75% of leaders in warehousing are most concerned with maintaining productivity levels, regardless of global supply chain issues. ProGlove is a wearable scanner solutions vendor.
People are the most important part when it comes to managing productivity and unfortunately, they are often very overworked. Of the warehouse distribution center employees surveyed by ProGlove, 42% said that fatigue and exhaustion were common and significant challenges in their day-to-day position.
Let’s Get Global 🌎
🇨🇳 China’s manufacturing power is shrinking. Though the country is still raking in the cash, there is a decline in global exports coming out of China. According to data collected by Project44, a global visibility vendor, ocean shipping capacity departing Chinese ports is declining as well. China’s export market and manufacturing share are losing billions of dollars annually as Vietnam absorbs those who have pulled out of the market.
🌊 Rivers worldwide are drying up and risking the global food supply. From the Mississippi River to China’s largest hydro-power plant on the Yangtze River, droughts are affecting how the supply chain is moving along. Heatwaves from Germany to California have shrunk reservoirs and forced utilities relying on hydropower to reconsider its reliability as a green energy resource. Unfortunately, hydropower is recognized as one of the few renewable energies that are globally available.
☀️ China dominates the energy supply chain, and the world must pay for it. Currently, China is preparing to carry the manufacturing capacity of solar panels all the way through 2030. Europe and the United States are working on matching that capacity, but it will cost them both. According to an analysis from BloombergNEF, the United States would need to cough up $113 billion to meet domestic demand by 2030.
iLevel With You
More topics for the average American household to consider…
🇺🇸 U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh argues that immigration reform is the most important issue in America today. Walsh says that a recession or inflation are not the biggest concerns, as he expects the job market to continue to grow into 2023.
🇰🇷 South Korea is working closely to amend restrictions on tax incentives for electric vehicles, per the Inflation Reduction Act. The bill stipulates that tax incentives will only be provided to plug-in vehicles that a produced on North American soil. However, the Republic of Korea is arguing this is an unfair policy.
💰 A strong GDP is too good to be true: don’t be fooled. Gross domestic product reports are up 2.4% between July and September, according to Refinitiv. This, however, does not mean things are moving in the right direction. The Federal Reserve is hoping to see underlying metrics as they go into their next policy meeting to discuss another rate hike, not just read the headlines.
GET SMART
Ramp up that brain power for these advanced topics…
🗒 Industry groups are pushing for digital bills of lading. Electronic Bills of Lading (eBOLs) are not industry standard, with most still utilizing good ol’ paper and pen when signing for deliveries. The Digital LTL Council, an industry group from the less-than-truckload freight sector, is advocating for the industry shift toward electronic BOLs by July 2023. They argue that this digitization will improve shipping visibility and tracking.
💻 Supply chain management can be smoother than ever. Supply chain visibility, trade compliance, foreign trade zones, and carrier selection are all possible to be simplified through unification. Companies are faced with a new reality today of global and complex supply chains - why not use new technology and software meant to assist in navigating these challenges?
⚖️ National security is depending on supply chain strategies. In the White House’s 48-page National Security Strategy, the supply chain is mentioned 19 times. International rivalries are being developed as supply chain competition ramps up and heightened global inflation has counties like the United States, China, and India looking to expand supply chain operations on domestic soil.
Leadership 🏆
NextGen 2022: Learning from leaders | Supply Chain Management Review
In this article, Supply Chain Management Review contributor Bob Trebilcock writes about the 2022 NextGen Supply Chain Conference at the Chicago Athletic Association. This was the first in-person event since 2019.
Maritime 🚢
Sea-Intelligence points to main freight rate inflation drivers | Container News
In this article, Container News Managing Editor Antonis Karamalegkos writes about why carriers have seen rates increase so drastically in a. short period of time: sea intelligence.
Safety 🦺
Lytx solution addresses unsafe truck parking; video telematics integration with DTNA | Fleet Owner
In this article, Fleet Owner contributor Josh Fisher writes about new Lytx technology that can be installed on Freightliner and Western Star vehicles beginning in 2023.
Diversity 👱♀️
Women In Trucking Association Announces its October 2022 Member of the Month | Women In Trucking
In this article, Women In Trucking Staff highlights the organization’s member of the month of October 2022, Jessica Olsen of SRS Distribution.
Regulations ⚖️
Webinar: The impacts of autonomous vehicle technology and role of public policy | Reason Foundation
in this article, Reason Foundation’s Senior Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner writes about the possible impacts of public policy on autonomous vehicle engineering.
Grants 💰
EPA awarding nearly $1 billion to schools for electric buses | AP News
AP News contributor Matthew Daly writes about the Environmental Protection Agency’s grant of $1 billion to help create more electric school buses across the nation.
Industry Forecast 📊
DHL launches latest “DHL Logistics Trend Radar” with most impactful trends | AJOT
In this article, an AJOT contributor writes about DHL launching DHL Logistics’ Trend Radar. Its purpose is to monitor the most impactful trends in the industry.
TMS 💻
A Freight Waves contributor writes about the evolution of a trailer management system and how the tech freight market can accelerate consistent stability and growth in a company.
Trucker’s Lounge 🧢
Hero Daniel Harmon: Helping Kentucky Flood Victims Whose Homes Washed Away | Heroes - TT News
TT News highlights Daniel Harmon, a West Virginia native and trucking industry veteran with XPO Logistics. He has made massive efforts to assist Kentucky flood victims.
Driver Issues 🚛
ATA: Driver Shortage Remains Near Record High | Trucking Info
In this article, Trucking info contributor Deborah Lockridge writes about the persistent trucker labor shortage issues, according to the American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello.
Network Association 🤝
Seven considerations for choosing outside service providers | Fleet Maintenance
In the article, Fleet Maintenance contributor Jane Clark writes about how a technician shortage is forcing fleets to be more selective when choosing a service provider for vehicle maintenance.
Electric Vehicles 🔋
EU, US set up task force to resolve electric vehicle feud | AP News
AP News shares an article discussing the United States and European Union’s dispute and the resulting task force trusted with settling the matter of the U.S.’s violation of World Trade Organization rules with the Inflation Reduction Act.
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.