News
Logistics Recap September 24th – September 30th
Logistics Recap
September 24th – September 30th
UAW-represented workers near strike deadline
United Auto Workers-represented workers at Mack Trucks could strike as soon as Monday. The current agreement, signed after a two-week strike in 2019, expires Sunday night.
Most attention is focused on an expanding strike against the Detroit Three automakers — General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. The situation involving 3,900 union members at Volvo Group North America facilities in three states has attracted little attention.
Government shutdown would largely spare trucking regulators
A government shutdown this weekend largely would not affect federal trucking regulators. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and other transportation agencies would continue operations because a possible funding gap wouldn’t immediately disrupt those agencies, according to an August Department of Transportation report.
The shutdown could threaten the broader transportation ecosystem however — certain federal workers such as air traffic controllers and train inspectors would not get paid, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a Wednesday news conference. Congress needs to meet an Oct. 1 deadline to keep the government funded.
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Airbus to equip Ro-Ro vessel with wind-power technology
Airbus will equip one of the ro-ro vessels it uses to transport aircraft sub-assemblies with a wind-assisted propulsion technology that captures wind energy to generate thrust and, therefore, delivers savings in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
The 22-metre (72-feet) high eSAIL, developed by the Barcelona-based firm bound4blue, will be installed on the ro-ro ship Ville de Bordeaux, chartered from shipowner Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.
Logistics Recap September 17th – September 23rd
Logistics Recap
September 10th – September 16th
Progress made with Volvo’s fuel cell truck
After long being regarded as a decade away, fuel cells are making significant progress. South Korea’s Hyundai has delivered 10 of 30 Xcient fuel cell trucks for pilot use at the Port of Oakland in California. The rest are expected in October. Paccar is working with Toyota on commercializing the automaker’s second-generation fuel cell stack for Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks in 2025.
Cargo volumes drop 15% for Port of Oakland
Cargo volumes at the Port of Oakland fell 15% YoY to 179,161 TEUs in August as demand from retailers, manufacturers and other shippers slowed down.
August volumes last year were a total of 211,123 TEUs. Volumes also dipped compared to July 2023, which saw a total of 181,555 TEUs — the port’s highest amount of cargo handled since November 2022.
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Marine highway projects get $12M in grants
The Biden-Harris Administration awarded $12 million in grants to the DOT’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to support eight marine highway projects — short-sea routes and inland water routes in the U.S. that have been designated by the Secretary of Transportation.
The funding will go towards improving the movement of goods along navigable U.S. waterways and expanding existing services in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
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DHL agrees to 10-year deal for biomethane production
DHL Supply Chain has agreed a 10-year deal with Stream BioEnergy that will see €80 million (approximately £69.4 million) invested in a biomethane production facility in Cork, Republic of Ireland.
DHL says that the new facility will provide fuel for up to 150 trucks, which it calculates will lead to an annual carbon reduction of 15,000 tonnes.
Logistics Recap September 10th – September 16th
Logistics Recap
September 10th – September 16th
Electric truck rebates doubled in California
How will small fleets afford the cost of electric trucks? The answer is surprisingly easy. Just work with the nonprofit that manages California’s $647 million voucher program. It is offering double the rebate for which larger fleets qualify.
Calstart is a nonprofit organization working to build a high-tech clean-transportation industry. It administers hundreds of millions of incentive dollars from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). That money is collected from companies that pollute too much.
$1.7B in shipments detained in Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
As of July 2023, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained 5,059 shipments from more than five countries, according to the report. The majority of these were imported from Malaysia, Vietnam and China. More than 36% of the shipments were directly from China.
Of these shipments, apparel, footwear and textiles as well as industrial, manufacturing and electronics have been the primary target of detentions, per the report.
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Port of LA container volumes see 3% year-over-year boost
he Port of Los Angeles saw a 3% year-over-year boost in container volumes during August, marking the first year-over-year gain seen at the port since July 2022. The port handled about 828,000 container units during August, a 21% increase from July 2023, said executive director Gene Seroka during a September 14 press briefing. Compared to the five-year running average for August, the port is off by 6%, though Seroka said that the gap “continues to close.”
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Supply chains on carbon alert thanks to Scope 3 emissions bill
California’s state Senate has approved a bill requiring large companies to report their carbon footprints, putting more pressure on them to clean up their supply chains.
The Emissions Disclosure Mandate Bill was supported by several large companies, including Apple, Ikea and Microsoft, but was opposed by others for the exacting demands it places on organisations. It comes into effect from 2027.