Truckers Can Drive at Night

As considerations concerning the international provide chain loom massive, folks have turned to President Joe Biden for potential options in the USA.

Nonetheless, one in every of Biden’s proposed options to resolve delays is one thing that already takes place: truck drivers working in a single day.

“Meaning a rise within the hours for employees to be shifting cargo off ships and onto vehicles and railcars to get to their vacation spot. And greater than that, the night time hours are vital for growing the motion of products as a result of highways are much less crowded within the night, at night time,” Biden mentioned in a information convention Wednesday.

Right here’s the video of President Biden explaining why truckers could make extra progress by being allowed to drive in a single day and off-peak hours of AM and PM rush hours as a result of — look ahead to it — the roads aren’t as crowded.

And THAT, women and gents, will assist repair the availability chain pic.twitter.com/e35xse5AB7

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 13, 2021

Todd Spencer, the president and CEO of the Proprietor-Operator Impartial Drivers Affiliation, launched an announcement about Biden’s remarks, in keeping with American Trucker.

“Truckers have been working tirelessly to maintain the nation secure and productive all through the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve already been working across the clock however are sometimes restricted by elements past their management resembling extreme detention time and the shortage of readily-available, secure parking for his or her vehicles,” Spencer mentioned.

Spencer then slammed the president for making the answer sound simpler than it truly is.

“These issues should lastly be addressed if the administration hopes to implement any important provide chain options. Most of what we’re seeing shouldn’t be a shock to our members who’ve been plagued with dysfunction within the provide chain for many years, and it’s not practical to anticipate the availability chain will all of the sudden function effectively on a 24/7 schedule when drivers aren’t being absolutely paid for his or her time.”

Earlier in his remarks, Biden additionally talked about that the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Lengthy Seashore, that are answerable for roughly 40 p.c of transport containers in the USA, are presently working 24/7 — which isn’t essentially true.

“After weeks of negotiations and dealing with my group and with the key union retailers and freight movers, the Port of Los Angeles introduced at this time that it’s going to start working 24 hours a day, seven days every week,” Biden mentioned.

The Long Beach Post News reported that no terminal on the Port of Lengthy Seashore is presently working across the clock.

“It’s a little bit of a course of, it’s not an in a single day factor,” Port of Lengthy Seashore spokesman Lee Peterson advised the outlet in a cellphone name concerning the transition.

Biden pulled a traditional politician transfer and made the options sound a lot better than they really are, and the delays earlier than the vacation season will possible worsen.

I used to be featured on Fox & Associates highlighting the nationwide safety implications of our provide chain disaster. As a substitute of being reliant on adversaries like China for vital items, the Biden Administration must take proactive steps to strengthen American manufacturing. pic.twitter.com/UuS0wQFi9I

— Rep. John Katko (@RepJohnKatko) October 14, 2021

As these shortages boost inflation, Biden is scrambling to search out any answer doable as a way to profit him politically, The New York Times urged.

Whereas asking firms resembling Walmart, UPS and FedEx to extend their hours as a way to mitigate delays shouldn’t be a nasty thought, it might be too little too late as a way to get a grip on the disaster.

It’s robust to pin the issue fully on Biden, as the worldwide supply chain is extraordinarily complicated, however American voters might place the blame on the president if they’re unable to get the products they want within the coming months.