Logistics and Supply Chain Professional Discussion

Yeah I saw this today also.

I met with a major Freight Forwarder Thursday. They are absolutely seeing impact at some of the major container shipping lines.



Heres some thorough analysis on this effect and the ocean Container situation going into 2024.

Just watched it before logging in.
Gonna start a new "Red Sea" thread in the middle east conflict subforum (and repost that video) and leave this thread for US - centered topics.
Like this:
Panama is willing to slightly increase the number of vessels passing through the Canal - someone down there knows how to do the math.


It's weather dependent and the Panama Canal will still run at 3/4 of capacity.
 
Container shipping giants: Moller-Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, will no longer sail through the Red Sea due to Houthi threat.



And to make things even worse: Panama is imposing limits on vessels passing through the Canal due to severe drought.

LOL I thought the global warming was causing the oceans to raise?

I guess they must use different waters in the canal between the oceans.
 
Due to the ongoing migrant invasion, the US Customs and Border Protection suspends cross border rail traffic in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas.

Eagle Pass and El Paso are the No. 2 and No. 3 rail gateways, by volume, in the US.


Full text
Roughly 45% of all rail cars moving to and from Mexico cross through El Paso and Eagle Pass – there isn’t enough capacity at the other four gateways to reroute them. Union Pacific urges the Eagle Pass and El Paso border crossings be reopened immediately.
This is impacting:
• Agricultural products (grain held in six Midwest states)
• Food and beverages (beer and dry food products)
• Automotive (finished vehicles and parts)
• Consumer goods
• Industrial commodities (metals and cement)



Full text
Union Pacific urges the Eagle Pass and El Paso border crossings be reopened immediately.
These locations represent 45% of cross-border Union Pacific business and include goods critical to the U.S. economy. There isn’t enough capacity at our other four gateways to reroute them. With Christmas and the New Year’s holidays just days away, Union Pacific is in close communication with multiple government agencies and our customers, urging that the crossings closed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection be reopened. While the company understands this is a complex humanitarian crisis, most migrants are not crossing the border on trains.
Union Pacific uses our own employees, police force, and technology including an x-ray system that uses gamma-ray imaging, to look for people and contraband. Finding contraband before it makes its way into the U.S. is crucial to the safety and security of our railroad, our employees and the communities we serve. Every day that the border is closed, Union Pacific is forced to embargo customers’ goods on more than 60 trains, or nearly 4,500 rail cars, with an equivalent of goods being held in Mexico. Union Pacific is doing everything possible to stage trains and work with customers to prevent congestion at the border. The longer this closure is in effect, the more difficult it will be for cross-border trade to resume.



Full text
Nearly 10,000 rail cars are being held on both sides of the border. Union Pacific is doing everything possible to stage trains and work with customers to prevent congestion at the border. The longer this closure is in effect, the more difficult it will be for cross-border trade to resume.
 
From discussion with a Peterbilt truck rep today: the State of California has declined to allow 2023 and 2024 Peterbilt trucks to be fully registered/licensed for the coming year. Apparently, they don't meet updated emission requirements. Big Cali flex right now - taking on Peterbilt.

Peterbilt is stuck with many excess trucks at the current time, due to cancelled orders. If you don't care about going to California, it is a good time to look for a Pete rep. Long term lease rates have dropped dramatically, as have new orders/purchases.
 
ILA lists objections to the industry automating various functions like container offloading, gate operations, etc. This is the strongest working-class resistance that I've seen to the automation effect happening across all industry now. It will be interesting to see how this works out and it will impact operations in other unionized industry.
 
ILA lists objections to the industry automating various functions like container offloading, gate operations, etc. This is the strongest working-class resistance that I've seen to the automation effect happening across all industry now. It will be interesting to see how this works out and it will impact operations in other unionized industry.
If automation technology is available for moving containers, nothing can stop it from coming into use. This is like the buggy whip makers fighting against the rise of the automobile.

There will still have to be people managing the container movement system, but there's no way to prevent the adoption of more efficient processes.
 
Re: automation. A few years ago we demonstrated a new machine to a government agency. It addressed a labor-intensive process that exposes men to high-risk situations at all hours of day and night. The machine did a good job, not great, but has hope and continues development elsewhere.

The .gov workers hated it with visual dislike. The executive managers liked it, but you could tell they didn't want a union fight ahead. Funny thing - the government already had delegated the task as an out-of-house, contractor serviced only process. We were showing a way to avoid millions in annual contracted services, not a penny from their in-house personnel budget. If anything, they could do the work themselves with this machine and justify more well-paid in-house personnel.

Bottom line - Working class America is terrified by automation. Don't underestimate the fear.
 
Re: automation. A few years ago we demonstrated a new machine to a government agency. It addressed a labor-intensive process that exposes men to high-risk situations at all hours of day and night. The machine did a good job, not great, but has hope and continues development elsewhere.

The .gov workers hated it with visual dislike. The executive managers liked it, but you could tell they didn't want a union fight ahead. Funny thing - the government already had delegated the task as an out-of-house, contractor serviced only process. We were showing a way to avoid millions in annual contracted services, not a penny from their in-house personnel budget. If anything, they could do the work themselves with this machine and justify more well-paid in-house personnel.

Bottom line - Working class America is terrified by automation. Don't underestimate the fear.
I know it is a threat, and it destroys the lives of people who made a good living with the old technology.

Sometimes the new technology is more helpful than workers expected, sometimes not. People who made clothing by hand hated the coming of the sewing machine, because they didn't realize ordinary people might be able to afford more than one outfit. However, buggy whip makers really did see a permanent decline in their industry.

New technology can definitely create extreme passions in displaced workers, but it is unstoppable.
 
It will be like early Covid hysteria. . Buy an extra bag of rice and toilet paper


Got this

Fwd:
Just received the attached

Hey guys so I just want to inform everyone that the people at the port aka longshoremen/ women will be going on strike Oct 1 starting at 12am please stock up on essential items because if the strike last longer than 2 week it will become a problem to get these things.
Please do what you can to buy the essential items for your home like: toilet tissue Paper towel
Soap
Bleach
Rice
Can goods
Water
Frozen vegetables
Medical supplies
Batteries
Fruit
Candles
Laundry products
If you have any prescriptions try to get them filled before Tuesday because there could be a problem getting meds while they are on strike

Edit this strike is probably only going to affect east coast/ mid Atlantic and surrounding areas. The west coast has a different union
 
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Can't say I blame this man for advocating for his workers, most of whom work long hours at a dangerous and thankless job.

Unions get a lot of hate, I think mostly because many of them vote Democrat as a bloc, but they're the main reason that wages were high enough to give American blue collar workers a comfortable middle class life for most of the 20th century.

The unionizing push of the 20s and 30s is by far the most useful and least retarded thing that Socialists did for this country.
 
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