Supply chain disruptions and an increased need for more qualified truckers rank among the underlying causes of national inflation. In an effort to correct the supply chain adversity, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) asks truck drivers to answer 13 questions. The request for information will be used to provide practical information and solutions for the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to act upon.
The Biden Administration Task Force was created in June, following an Executive Order in February that directed federal agencies to work diligently toward shoring up the country’s supply chain. Everyday people are well aware that goods and material deliveries lag behind consumer demand even though CDL professionals enjoy hours-of-service flexibility when hauling specific loads. As the DOT prepares a report for the White House, truckers can do their part by providing feedback on the following topics.
- The identification of major infrastructure or operational bottlenecks and chokepoints across all aspects of the freight and logistics supply chain — including shipping/receiving, intermodal transfer, rail/water/truck transportation, warehousing, etc. — that slow or impede efficient cargo movement within the freight and logistics sector, and the most effective investments and management practice improvements that could be made to alleviate those bottlenecks.
- Current and potential future shortages and/or distribution limitations of essential cargo-handling equipment, such as chassis and shipping containers, and how these challenges can be or are likely to be addressed by the freight and logistics industry over both the medium and longer term.
- Warehouse capacity and availability, and any challenges faced in operating and siting/constructing those facilities, as well as challenges faced by third-party logistics service providers and other stakeholders in the logistic system.
- Major risks to resilience within the freight and logistics sector (including defense, intelligence, cyber, homeland security, health, climate, environmental, natural, market, economic, geopolitical, human-rights, or labor-management risks). What factors help to mitigate, or conversely exacerbate, these risks?
- The effects of climate change on transportation and logistics infrastructure and its implications for supply chain resiliency.
- Technology issues, including information systems, cybersecurity risks, and interoperability, that affect the safe, efficient, and reliable movement of goods. Would greater standardization of those technologies help address those challenges?
- Key opportunities and challenges with respect to the existing and future workforce to ensure a well-functioning freight and logistics supply chain and achieve the President’s goal of increasing good-paying jobs with the choice of a union. Are there additional workforce or skill set opportunities and needs currently, or expected in the future?
- Current barriers (including statutory, regulatory, technological, institutional, labor and workforce, management, existing business models/practices issues) that inhibit supply chain performance. For any barriers identified, please address the actors involved and potential outcomes should those barriers be removed.
- Critical assets that the sector relies upon and their expected future availability. Would increasing domestic production of these assets be desirable or feasible as a means of ensuring greater supply chain resiliency (chassis, containers, etc.)?
- Technological practices, including data sharing, that are being implemented at various levels across the supply chain sector. What are the upsides, challenges, and drawbacks of further adoption?
- Actions that DOT or other agencies in the U.S. Government (USG) could take under existing authorities or in partnership with States, local governments, the private sector, or labor to address current and evolving challenges within the freight and logistics sector.
- Other policy recommendations or suggested executive, legislative, or regulatory changes to ensure a resilient supply chain that DOT/USG should consider, including means to collaborate more effectively across government agencies and suggestions based on state and international models.
- Recommended actions by non-Federal entities, including State and local governments, private firms, labor, and other participants in the freight and logistics sector that could be encouraged by DOT/USG.
The request for information was issued on Sept. 10, 2021, and the deadline for responses closes on Oct. 18, 2021. According to the Federal Register, comments can be provided to the DOT through the following methods.
- Electronic Submission: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Search by using the docket number (provided above). Follow the instructions for submitting comments on the electronic docket site.
- Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor (W12-140), Washington, DC 20590-0001.
- Hand Delivery: W12-140 of the Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
Sources: overdriveonline.com, ccjdigital.com, federalregister.gov
And what good would it do. We have voiced these issues before and nothing is ever done. Washington does what fits their agendas. They don’t care about everyone else.
Your Right.
Only the money!!!
The government and DOT waits till after the fact to try and do something. When they do come up with something it will be to their benefit anyway. It’s never for the American people it for the government and we will be back where we are in years to come. When it disrupts their life and money now it’s time to do something . Now they feel what we been feeling all our life.
Your Right.
I was just thinking the other day. For years I heard about trucker strikes and “lets shut it down, that will fix it” Well now we have a slow down, and it is not our doing. let’s see if it changes a damn thing to our favor. We can’t get goods moved and yet ct puts a highway use tax in, and pa wants to toll bridges. I don’t think it is changing anything
I’ve been Trucking and Transportation for 40 year’s… It has changed for a Undesirable Occupation!!! Over Ruled and Over Regulated by Government and Corporate America… And in Most Cases Under Paid for Job Duties and Time Involved in Truck At Shippers and Receivers. I’ve been on Union Employee side and Owner Operator’s side split in my Career… The Cheap Rates, The Paid by The Mile Only, No Detention for Waiting Times Everywhere are all The Cancers in Trucking and Transportation…
The Young People coming in to this Business seem to lack any Common Sense of Trucking, Definitely Under Trained, and don’t have Sense of Professional Attitude…
When my Age Group 50’s to 60’s starts getting out of Trucking the last of the 30’s to 40’s aren’t going to pull America 🇺🇸 Alone… Long Road of Transportation Problems Coming…
Hi CJ, I work for XPO Logistics and they are pretty good to me. I get paid well and 15 days paid off per year plus Holidays. They have local and OTR positions and are on the NYS Stock Exchange. Health Insurance and Stock Purchase plans to boot. I am pretty happy with them and you can transfer to any State once your employed with them. They are even in Canada and some parts of Europe. Check them out XPO Logistics….One of the top 3 on the List for best Trucking positions.
That’s great the treat you well. However that doesn’t solve the problem one company can’t do it all! I worked for yellow and as soon as the Powell families (old timers retired) that company went to hell. The teamsters did nothing for the members but rob our retirees and lined there pockets. When the government gets out of making every damn special interest groups happy and LISTEN to the Drivers and not big money to line there pockets things will change until this happens this industry is mucked up!!!!
@CJ
I’m right there with you. I’m 56 and own my rig outright so I work way less- only when gravy freight comes my way, and there’s a lot of gravy right now.
I spend a lot of time growing a huge garden and also we have a big greenhouse.
We haven’t had to buy produce since November of 2020….. which is good because I know that produce is sitting on the docks longer than ever before!
Hi RheumTrucker, Thank you for this insight. If you don’t mind could you give us your phone # so we can give you a buzz or we can give you ours? My email is gregcain7402@gmail.com if you want to send it there. Me and my Wife are planning on Homesteading and we need some experience and recommendations of Vegetable Gardening or anything else you may offer. My Wife Jennifer can speak with you or your Wife also since I am on the road alot. We are learning to supply our own food as we’ve seen this coming for a long time now. We have friends who even moved to Arkansas who are preparing for worldwide food shortage. Please email us when you have the opportunity. You know the old saying “Pass it on” and if there’s a skill or two you know that can help us it would be greatly appreciated!
To expect the government to fix the problems it created and keeps on creating it’s just like expecting the robber that just ransacked your house to help you fix the damages and restore the loses !
We all know your right J.C, why work at a job you can loose 2 weeks salary if you make a mistake, or get caught out of hours because you can’t find parking. The population continues to grow since the 80’s but for the most part rest areas haven’t. And the industry is regulated to hell and back. Who needs the stress for the meager salary paid while executives fly around in corporate jets working 9-5 in air conditioned offices. I have 35 years in and 10 to go and I won’t miss any of it!
That is an awfully complicated set of questions even for the smartest and most seasoned veterans. However, rather than not responding at all, considering responding with a simple list of the top 5 or 10 pain points that make your job the most difficult and drive those points home hard. Be specific where possible in terms of locations / examples that are some of the worst.
And, don’t give up yet. I’ve assembled a group of forward thinking leaders in trucking that are working on a better plan to make trucking more desirable as a career. Ideas like working from first-class full-service hubs, running relay and getting home daily is a primary theme. When on the road, having upscale facilities that are “private” and only open to member companies and drivers. No bad actors. There is a great opportunity to create an atmosphere where drivers can regain their dignity and truly enjoy their profession and peers.
The onslaught of overburdening government imposed regulations and mandates coupled to the out of control government spending and the Fed printing of this worthless paper fiat currency by the trillions, now on quarterly basis, is indeed the main factor for this economic decline and the main cause of national inflation !
Now I hear they are wanting to give the shippers and receivers an incentive for on time loading and unloading. That is BS. They need to be fined for every load that runs over 3 hrs. That’s usually when detention starts. The bottleneck starts right there and trickles down thru the whole industry.
We drivers work 70 to 80 hours per week, every week.
Our pay per mile works out to about $15.00 per hour.
Sure we get a nice pay check but we put in lots of hours to get it.
Paying us by the mile saves the company and their customers from paying us for wait time. That’s on us.
The DOT needs to require companies and their customers to pay us for all our time, including wait time. When that happens the backlog of freight movement will change.
They will be incentivised to move the freight.
The warehouse and dock workers don’t care when we get loaded and on the road. They are paid by the hour. We wait for free.
Requiring them to pay us a reasonable hourly wage of $25 to $35 per hour for every hour “On Duty” will force the system to respect our time and effort.
Thinking that authorizing 18 year olds to drive 80,000 pound projectiles on busy highways is adding idiots to chaos. Most of the disaster on the highways stems from that age group and drunks.
The best thing that has happened to truck driving in my 62 years of driving truck is the introduction of women into the driver work force. Just as always, why women get involved things get better.
Great Point!
Congestion and bottlenecking occur closer to larger cities and we can expect this to not go away any time soon. Work closer with new and old commercial developments towards better routing. Shorter hauling could be helpful if business would expand operations more strategically across US. Shorter routes along with better routing could free up congestive areas. Reduction of long-haul is what the industry must push towards. Road repair over many miles that are less traveled is costly. This industry needs better and quicker road repair Especially in Minnesota HWY 94 needs to be done.