The Logistix Company

Looming Strike Could Impact Railroad

jstill@kettlebottom.com — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 20:28:50 +0000

Further supply chain disruptions are currently in the making as railroad giant Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) plans to unveil a new attendance incentive program that may cause over 35,000 employees to go on strike as soon as February 1st, 2022. BNSF claims the points-based program intends to improve shipping lead times, though the members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Divisions of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation (SMART-TD) see otherwise; specifically citing that the program penalizes employees for any time taken off for any reason, even scheduled paid-time-off given with sufficient notice. “Our members have worked tirelessly to keep goods moving during a global pandemic, but the railroad is once again placing monetary profits over people to appease shareholders and Wall Street. Our membership is tired, frustrated and fed up with the treatment they continue to receive,” stated BLET National President Dennis Pierce and SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson. To learn more about this potential supply chain disruption, read the article published by Freight Waves here.

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The Newest Way to Measure Supply Pressure

jstill@kettlebottom.com — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 20:13:15 +0000

There is a new way to measure supply chain issues that are partially to blame for consumer price inflation: The Global Supply Chain Pressure Index (GSCPI). Researchers at the New York Federal Reserve invented this new calculation system using over 25 indicators, including, though not limited to, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) and Harpex index. The GSCPI’s purpose is to provide “a more comprehensive summary of potential disruptions affecting global supply chains,” according to researchers at the New York Federal Reserve. This begs the question: how high is the GSCPI currently? The New York Federal Reserve notes that “more recently, the GSCPI seems to suggest that the global supply chain pressures, while still historically high, have peaked and might start to moderate somewhat going forward.” An article published by American Shipper examines the current measurement of the GSCPI, key pressure indicators, and how researchers were able to create the new scale.

Read the article here.

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Trucker Recruitment Backed by Biden

jstill@kettlebottom.com — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 19:54:16 +0000

The Whitehouse unveiled a new plan earlier this month to ramp up recruitment efforts for new truck drivers. Aiming to improve industry retention and the quality of trucking jobs, the plan intends to increase the number of truck drivers on the road by making it faster and easier to get certified. Officials report that the new plan will help address pandemic-related delays in getting commercial driver’s licenses. Additionally, officials hope the plan will tackle other challenges in the profession such as high turnover. The plan is not likely to have an immediate impact on current bottlenecks. However, it is foreseen to help with supply chains in the long term. An article by the Wall Street Journal further examines the Biden Administration’s plan and its potential impact on supply chain issues.

Read it here.

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2021 Freight Recap & 2022 Projections

jstill@kettlebottom.com — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 21:06:18 +0000

TLC’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Joe Hassenfratz, sits down with the host of The View from Jamestown Podcast, Ben Sawicki, to discuss the state of frieght over the past year and to discuss predictions for 2022.

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Promises Plateau for Port Congestion

jstill@kettlebottom.com — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 17:45:11 +0000

The highly contested port fee plan, backed by the Biden administration with the intention of motivating container movement, is starting to lose its grandiose. Since the announcement, long-dwelling containers at ports were down by 50%, though the implementation date for the fee itself has been pushed back more than five times already. “My money says the new port surcharge may never be implemented — as long as we continue to improve the port congestion,” wrote shipping consultant Jon Monroe in his weekly newsletter. Monroe later wrote in the same newsletter, “… is [port congestion improving]? NO. But don’t tell anybody. This is best kept a dirty little secret left uncovered.” A recent article published by American Shipper reports on the current port congestion and subsequent fees. Read the article here.

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Inbound Logistics Podcast featuring TLC

jstill@kettlebottom.com — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 15:45:59 +0000

Our team had the opportunity to speak with the Inbound Logistics team on their podcast, Inbound Logistics. Listen to TLC’s Joe Hassenfratz discuss the current state of the global supply chain and how he manages day-to-day challenges.

Click here to listen.

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Shortages Not in Short Supply

jstill@kettlebottom.com — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 15:33:03 +0000

From coal to computer chips, the world is facing mass shortages in every industry. The main culprit: an energy crisis faced overseas. As the demand for Chinese products grows, China faces challenges set by recent energy-saving regulations due impart to their consumption of fossil fuels to power factories. Bottlenecks in US ports are adding to supply shortages as well. In September of 2021, as many as 73 ships were in queue to port. Before Covid, there would be as little as one ship waiting to port at any given time. An article published by BBC examines the variety of disruptions and issues being faced around the globe contributing to the perfect supply chain storm.

Click here to read the article.

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Ports Pleading to Lift Tariffs

jstill@kettlebottom.com — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 12:49:47 +0000

The Biden administration is facing pressure to lift trade tariffs imposed by the previous Trump administration. The trade association along with several high-profile manufacturers have sent letters imploring the administration to lift tariffs in attempts to provide immediate relief from record-high shipping costs. While the Biden administration has stated that they are in the process of reviewing the current US-China trade policy, many supply chain experts are urging quick action to assist in relieving some of the supply chain issues that the pandemic has catalyzed. An article by CNN examines the Biden tariff issues further.

Click here to read the article.

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Supply Chain Getting Worse

jstill@kettlebottom.com — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 19:48:03 +0000

Supply chain experts are describing what they call a “perfect storm” when it comes to the current state of supply chains everywhere: truck driver shortages, computer chip shortages, and raw material shortages in almost all industries; combined with a continuous increase in consumer demand, the only thing there seems to be no lack of are the shortages themselves. Contributing to supply chain challenges are the ways in which trading countries are handling the pandemic and subsequent resurfacing of Covid-19 cases. Some countries, such as China, aim for a strict zero-Covid policy, whereas locations such as the U.K. and the U.S. have resigned to treating Covid-19 as an endemic. A recent article by CNN reports that the supply chain disruptions are going to get worse before they get better.

Read the Article Here.

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Proposals to Update Shipping Act

jstill@kettlebottom.com — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 17:25:50 +0000

Congressmen John Garamendi and Dusty Johnson introduced legislation on August 11th, 2021, in the House of Representatives that would reform the Shipping Act. Shippers and U.S. exporters, specifically, called for the legislation to be reviewed and updated to help protect them from fees and to help ensure capacity. Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel Maffei, a former lawmaker himself, has been open about his willingness to work with legislators to update the Shipping Act. However, while shippers and regulators see potential to improve the Shipping Act, carriers feel it is an effort to solely blame them for the current state of the ocean market. The World Shipping Council insisted that the government didn’t need to intervene, citing that, “commercial solutions and market forces,” are the solutions needed to fix port congestion and other related issues. U.S. exporters disagree with this assessment, and many of them voiced support for the legislation. A letter from the Agriculture Transportation Coalition noted dozes of associations voicing support for the proposed updates to the Shipping Act. An article published by Supply Chain Dive examines the discussion in depth.

To read the article, click here.

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