Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021:
Dozens of groups pen letter to Biden with 5 immediate supply chain fixes
The American Trucking Associations and dozens of other associations representing agriculture, foodservice, trucking, warehousing, manufacturing, retail, construction, energy and other supply chain stakeholders are calling on President Joe Biden to work with the various industries to address the ongoing supply chain challenges.
The groups offered five actions the Administration could take to address some of the challenges, including a younger truck driver pilot program, promoting careers within transportation and the supply chain, vaccine mandate flexibility, hours of service relief, and addressing the flow of goods through ports.
The groups said they believe “it is imperative to attract younger commercial drivers into our industries.” They encouraged a pilot program that would allow employers to create a two-stage, safety-focused apprenticeship program for 18-20-year-old truck drivers.
The coalition added that the Department of Transportation and Department of Labor should work together with industry and state and local partners to promote truck driving and other transportation careers.
The groups noted they are concerned that the looming vaccine mandate, set to be published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the coming days, will “cripple an already strained supply chain,” estimating that companies covered by the mandate could lose 37% of their drivers.
Regulatory flexibilities, such as the ongoing emergency hours of service waiver, are supported by the coalition, which is encouraging the Administration to retain the HOS changes and consider adding more flexibilities to the current relief.
Finally, the coalition is encouraging the Biden Administration “to investigate the causes of inefficiencies at our nation’s ports, draw input from a wide variety of supply chain stakeholders, and work collaboratively to minimize the bottlenecks and operational practices that prevent the seamless movement of cargo through the supply chain.”
Broker group participates in House committee supply chain roundtable
The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) participated in a closed-door House Transportation and Infrastructure Republican Members roundtable discussion on the supply chain disruption and how brokers and 3PLs are assisting in efforts to improve the situation.
TIA said its members face a number of challenges, including the driver shortage, an attack on the independent contractor model, strict environmental regulations and more.
“As the premier organization representing supply chain logistics companies, TIA is honored to share our views and supports the Republican Members of the T&I Committee for hosting this roundtable and identifying regulations and law that may be hindering the supply-chain,” said Chris Burroughs, TIA vice president of governmental affairs who represented the group at the meeting.
“TIA members have a vast knowledge of the supply chain expertise in transportation data and trends, and multi-modal reach and visibility,” said TIA President and CEO Anne Reinke. “As such, TIA will provide critical insights into current supply chain bottlenecks and solutions to help turn this economy around.”
Navistar opens five new truck parts locations
Navistar announced that its all-makes and models aftermarket truck and bus parts brand, Fleetrite truck parts, has opened five more retail locations through partnerships with the International and IC Bus dealer network.
The company says the locations offer an expansive line of products to ensure customer access and improved uptime. With the new stores opening, Fleetrite’s total retail locations throughout the United States and Canada has now reached 16.
The newest Fleetrite retail locations include:
- Fleetrite Truck Parts by Sun State International in Tampa, Florida
- Fleetrite Truck Parts by Peterson Trucks in Portland, Oregon
- Fleetrite Truck Parts by Peterson Trucks in Eugene, Oregon
- Fleetrite Truck Parts by Peterson Trucks in San Leandro, California
- Fleetrite Truck Parts by Winslow-Gerolamy Motors in Peterborough, Ontario