The Weekly Freight Report for October 28th, 2021

The Top 6 Stories in Freight

Here’s what’s happening this week:

  1. Is the supply chain system really broken or is it just a volume issue?
  2. National emergency triggers rule changes at ports in an effort to ease bottleneck constraints. 
  3. ATRI survey reveals the top trucking concerns plaguing the transportation industry. 
  4. Will declaring a state of emergency help with southern California port congestion? 
  5. USDOT hacks the FMCSA’s system and reveals vulnerabilities. 
  6. Brake Safety Week inspections park trucks to keep roads safe. 

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

1. Is the supply chain system really broken or is it just a volume issue?

Increased import volumes. Increased retailer purchases. Increased consumer demand. Increased retail sales. That being said… is the supply chain really in a “crisis”? A broken system can’t boast retailer purchases being up 14.8% and consumer spending being up 18.5%. A port system in crisis can’t process 21.3% more inbound containers in a month. Additionally, warehousing employment isn’t as dire as some employers claim, and here’s why.

2. National emergency triggers rule changes at ports in an effort to ease bottleneck constraints. 

Will changing cargo stacking rules alleviate bottleneck constraints at the Port of LA and LB? Let’s hope so. A 90-day zoning rule will allow stacks of four containers high compared with the long-time limit of two. With 80 vessels waiting offshore and container removal by truck being almost 6 days, will this adjustment make a difference? Read more here.

3. ATRI survey reveals the top trucking concerns plaguing the transportation industry. 

Lack of drivers. Driver retention. Safety. Detention. Infrastructure. Lawsuit abuse. Taxes. These are some of the pain points transportation industry respondents cited in the recent ATRI’s (American Transportation Research Institute) list of Top Industry Concerns. This snap shop provides critical information on the top challenges facing the transportation industry. Learn more about the top industry concerns here.

4. Will declaring a state of emergency help with southern California port congestion? 

Pressure needs to be relieved as the number of vessels waiting off southern California shores climbs to 100. Industry executives are in agreement on one thing… that there should be a state of emergency declared to help ease clogged ports in southern California. If adjustments are not made, 97 of the 100 ships have containers full of cargo that will miss the holiday shopping season. Lack of industry coordination, on-dock workers, and truck drivers continue to add to the delays plaguing the ports. Read more here.

5. USDOT hacks the FMCSA’s system and reveals vulnerabilities. 

Luckily it was the USDOT and not malicious hackers that penetrated the FMCSA’s web servers. The USDOT discovered 13 different critical vulnerabilities that granted access to 13.6 million unencrypted (personal identity) records. The lack of cyber security could have cost the FMCSA over $570 million in credit monitoring fees had hackers obtained this information. Get the details about the breach here.

5. Brake Safety Week inspections park trucks to keep roads safe. 

Keeping everyone on the road safe as well as keeping our freight moving should be a top priority. A total of 3,874 (13.5%) trucks were placed out of service in the recent Brake Safety Week organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. The US, Canada, and Mexico worked together to inspect 35,764 trucks this year. Across North America, 12% of the commercial motor vehicles inspected were placed out of service for brake issues alone. To see the Brake Safety Week details, click here.

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