Every year across America truckers and the trucking industry face countless struggles. One of the most overlooked issues that the trucking industry faces is the constant changing of the weather. Over the past couple of months there have been snowstorms in the Texas and California causing roads to shut down. There have also been hurricanes and storms throughout the Gulf of Mexico and into the southeastern states, and just last month Arizona was forced to close some of there roads due to wildfire. Read More
Tag: transportation
Operation Safe Driver Week 2021
The week of July 11 through July 17 is Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week. During this time, law enforcement will be pulling over and giving citations to drivers of commercial motor vehicles and passenger vehicles violating the rules of the road, including speeding and unsafe driving behaviors. This is in an effort to increase safety on the road to protect other drivers and passengers. Read More
Will Rush Hour Gas Demand Return this Fall?
As the summer heats up, the question remains, will Americans eventually return to the office? And will the rush hour gas demand return?
According to Gallup, in April 2020 70% of Americans worked remotely. As of June of 2021, the number decreased to 56% of Americans working remote. According to a study by LaSalle Network, 70% of companies want employees back in the office in some capacity by this fall.
A Used Truck is How Much?
Freight rates are booming, and new truck production constraints means that truckers are looking at low mile used trucks to take on the road. According to an article from Freight Waves, “New truck production, beset by shortages of microchips that power critical vehicle functions, and through-the-roof commodity prices, is only beginning to recover but manufacturers are having difficulties hiring enough workers.” Demand continues to outpace supply and for that reason, truck prices continue to increase. Read More
No April Fools Joke, that’s Trillion with a “T”
As President Biden unveiled his infrastructure plan in Pittsburgh yesterday, it kicked off the first step in what is estimated to be a months-long negotiation with Congress. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that approximately $2.6 trillion dollars is needed to restore America’s infrastructure over the next decade. Biden’s plan, called the “American Jobs Plan,” is estimated to be around $2 trillion. The plan is said to be funded by raising corporate taxes from 21% to 28%.
Renovating the Nation
There have been consistent whispers during the Trump Campaign of a national infrastructure deal just around the corner. While the whispers persist, there has not been any strong progression towards improving the national infrastructure. Multiple attempts have been made, but they have all fallen apart due to disagreement on the cost associated, where the cash will come from, and what sectors to prioritize. Typically, the first few years of a presidency are difficult to get alignment on topics. Infrastructure improvement seems to be an agreement on both sides. With the senate now split 50/50, Vice President elect, Kamala Harris’ vote could be the sway necessary to nudge the US infrastructure deal into action. With the American Society of Civil Engineers grading out the United states as a D+ on the current infrastructure, we certainly could use some renovations.
Trucking Industry Experts Optimistic for 2021
After unprecedented gains in 2020, which were overshadowed by COVID-19, many in the trucking industry are excited about the outlook for 2021. The trucking industry expects to see an increase in sectors such as final-mile delivery, contracting, home improvement, and overall E-commerce. The American Trucking Associations, Chief Economist Bob Costello says, “I think freight will remain decent in 2021. On the good side, the vaccine will help return to ‘normal,’ which means sectors that are currently hurting like services and manufacturing can bounce back”. This is great news for an industry that at the start of this pandemic in 2020 saw sales of Class 8 trucks fall by 24.3% in the first quarter, and 51.2% in the second quarter.
The weather outside is frightful
Tis the season for winter weather and this week we are experiencing the full effects of winter storm Gail, marching up the east coast. Many from Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania have all felt these effects which includes slick road conditions and delayed travel.
Nuclear Canada
Canada has an emphasis on minimizing their carbon footprint. Recently they committed to $20 million for the construction and distribution of small modular nuclear power plants. These single, small, modular power plants would be able to produce up to 300MWe (megawatt of electric capacity). For reference, that would be enough to power 150K to 200K homes. The benefit of these units would certainly be the transportation flexibility for more isolated communities with minimal waste.
A2A Is Underway
President Trump announced last week that he will be issuing a Presidential Permit for a freight railway project that will run from Alberta, Canada to Alaska, called A2A Railway. The project will cost $22 billion and will transport a variety of commodities such as oil and iron ore, as well as other container goods. The rail line will run close to 1,600 miles (2,570 kilometers) from Anchorage, Alaska through Yukon and Northwest Territories into northern Alberta.
