The Weekly Freight Report for June 3rd, 2021

The Top 5 Stories in Freight

Here’s what’s happening this week:

  1. Carriers being to get creative with recruiting methods
  2. What the VMT truck tax would mean for the industry
  3. FMCSA extends regulatory relief for commercial drivers 
  4. US railroads eliminate 5 PM cut off to address bottlenecks
  5. Food shippers face major challenges ahead

The hottest stories in freight can be found here, in the Weekly Freight Report:

1. Carriers being to get creative with recruiting methods

We don’t need to remind you that there is a major capacity crunch. Getting drivers behind the wheel has been a struggle for carriers across North America. And carriers are being forced to think outside the box about how to recruit and retain talent. From safety, pay and taking in driver feedback… Here are some ways carriers are getting creative in their recruiting methods.

2. What the VMT truck tax would mean for the industry

A proposal for a tax on vehicle miles traveled is on the table… and trucking associations aren’t happy about it. Senators claim the tax would ‘make up for dwindling revenues coming into the Highway Trust Fund. But at what cost? 25 cents per mile. Trucks already shoulder most of the cost of the fuel tax… not to mention half the tax revenue for the trust fund. Trucking associations claim the addition would be detrimental to small carriers and owner-operators who are already operating on margins of profitability. Get the full details here.

 

3. FMCSA extends regulatory relief for commercial drivers 

The FMCSA has extended a waiver that provides regulatory relief to drivers with expired CDLs, CLP and medical cards until August 31st. The waiver was initially enacted in March of last year and been extended several times since. Get all the details on the waiver here to see if your drivers qualify under the extension.

 

4. US railroads eliminate 5 PM cut off to address bottlenecks

Railroads are fighting back against bottlenecks that have been causing congestion on inland rail ramps. Class I railroads on both coasts are tightening free time to speed up the pickup of record import volumes. The moves hope to narrow down the window on shipments and turn around containers and chassis quicker. But the decision may cause shippers to be billed more storage or demurrage fees. It may also put additional pressure on trucking companies to pull containers faster. Get the full details.

 

5. Food shippers face major challenges ahead

US food shippers are facing a whirlwind of problems right now. As restaurants open back up and they look to increase volume… capacity is nowhere to be found.  Not to mention the rising rates are making it nearly impossible to secure shipments. Labor is proving to be a massive issue as well… and now pallets are increasing in cost due to the lumber shortage. The result might mean higher prices for consumers at supermarkets and fewer choices for what they can order at restaurants. Get the full details here.

 

Need help moving freight across North America? FLS can help. Our network of 54,000 carriers and 400,000 trucks is a great asset to any shipper… and our service levels are impeccable. Give us a try… Get a quote today!