The Weekly Freight Report for June 17th, 2021

The Top 6 Stories in Freight

Here’s what’s happening this week:

  1. Hurricane season is here… and it’s going to be aggressive
  2. Canada’s ELD mandate takes effect (kind of)
  3. Speeders are in for a rude awakening during Safe Driver Week
  4. ATA launches program to educate high school students about a profession in driving
  5. The FMC voices support for auditing ocean carriers detention and demurrage fees
  6. The U.S. House drafts bill forcing carriers to ship agricultural exports

The hottest stories in freight can be found here, in the Weekly Freight Report:

1. Hurricane season is here… and it’s going to be aggressive

Hurricane season has officially commenced as of June 1st. And it’s expected to be a wild year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center predicts 2021 will be 60% above-normal season when it comes to hurricanes. While it likely won’t be as active as 2020, drivers are cautioned to pay close attention to the weather this season to avoid any further disruptions to the supply chain and capacity pinch. Get the full update here.

2. Canada’s ELD mandate takes effect (kind of)

Canada’s ELD mandate took effect on Saturday… but it’s still missing two key pieces. (1) Any kind of meaningful enforcement and (2) a list of approved ELDs for carriers to use. Due to the second point, there isn’t one carrier who abides by the regulation right now… they quite literally don’t know which ELDs to use. Luckily, carriers have until June 2022 to obtain a certified ELD before any penalties take place, which also gives ELD providers plenty of time to undergo the certification process. Get the full story here.

3. Speeders are in for a rude awakening during Safe Driver Week

The CVSA’s annual Safe Driver Week is less than a month away, July 11-17th. And this year law enforcement will be looking for speeders. Reckless and aggressive driving, distracted driving, following too closely and a few other safety violations will also be looked for. Get prepared by reading the update here.

 

4. ATA launches program to educate high school students about a profession in driving

One way to recruit more drivers into the field? Change the image of the profession in the minds of younger generations. This week the ATA concluded a week-long program where they educated a variety of high school students about choosing a profession in trucking. This program is called the Workforce Heros program and it educates students on the day-to-day of a professional truck driver, starting salary. CDL requirements and more. Will it inspire younger drivers to join the workforce? Only time will tell. But it’s a step in the right direction. Read the full story here.

 

5. The FMC voices support for auditing ocean carriers detention and demurrage fees

After months of claims regarding unreasonable demurrage and detention charges, shippers have finally been heard.  The FMC voiced support for auditing ocean carriers on their compliance with the agency’s detention and demurrage rule. Chairman Daniel Maffei said he would like to audit each of the nine major ocean carriers to get information about their demurrage and billing processes. This process would be resource-intensive, however. Whether it will happen is up in the air. Read more on next steps here.

 

6.The U.S. House drafts bill forcing carriers to ship agricultural exports

They’re calling it ‘discrimination agains US exporters’ and it may be coming to an end soon. The House of Representatives is drafting a bill that would give the FMC greater power by allowing it to enforce complaints against ocean carriers refusing to take US agricultural export containers. But opponents of the bill feel giving the FMC more power could do more harm than good… read up on both sides of the story here.

 

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