Hundreds of requests for details on the specifics of the container shipping backlog. So, I spent 3 days calling sources, digging for details and gathering information on the substantive issue at hand. The epicenter of the problem is not what is being outlined by financial media, corporate media and politicians who have a specific interest in distracting from the issues at hand. This has nothing to do with COVID-19.
The issues being discussed today relate to events that happened a long time ago. As a matter of fact, it was so predictable that Amazon, Walmart, UPS, FedEx, Samsung, The Home Depot and Target all had taken actions years ago -long before COVID- because they knew this day would come. It was not accidental that those companies showed up at the White House to discuss the issue, because there’s now a full court press to hide it.
There is one very specific regional issue driving the problem. Read on:
The trucking issue with California LA ports, ie the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB), is that all semi tractors have to be current with new California emissions standards. As a consequence, that mean trucks cannot be older than 3 years if they are to pick up or deliver containers at those ports. This issue wipes out approximately half of the fleet trucks used to move containers in/out of the port. Operating the port 24/7 will not cure the issue, because all it does is pile up more containers that sit idle as they await a limited number of trucks to pick them up. THIS is the central issue.
On October 16, 2020, the EPA reached a settlement agreement [DATA HERE] with California Air Resource Board (CARB) to shut down semi tractor rigs that were non-compliant with new California emission standards:
2020 SAN FRANCISCO – “Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced settlements with three interstate trucking companies imposing $417,000 in penalties for violating the California Air Resources Board’s federally enforceable Truck and Bus Regulation, Drayage Truck Regulation and Transport Refrigeration Unit Regulation.
“As trucks are one of the largest sources of air pollution in California, EPA will continue to ensure these heavy-duty vehicles have the needed pollution-control equipment and operate in compliance with the rules,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator John Busterud. “These companies have agreed to bring their trucks into compliance and operate more cleanly in all communities they serve.”
Transportation is a primary contributor to the high levels of air pollutants in Southern California and the Central Valley. Diesel emissions from trucks are one of the state’s largest sources of fine particle pollution, or soot, which is linked to health issues including asthma, impaired lung development in children, and cardiovascular effects in adults. Many of these trucks are older models and emit high amounts of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
[…] California Truck and Bus Regulation and Drayage Truck Regulation have been essential parts of the state’s federally enforceable plan to attain cleaner air. California requires trucking companies to upgrade vehicles they own to meet specific NOx and PM performance standards and to verify compliance of vehicles they hire or dispatch. Heavy-duty diesel trucks in California must meet 2010 engine emissions standards or use diesel particulate filters to reduce the diesel particulates emissions into the atmosphere by 85% or more. (read more)
In effect, what this 2020 determination and settlement created was an inability of half the nation’s truckers from picking up anything from the Port of LA or Port of Long Beach. Virtually all private owner operator trucks and half of the fleet trucks that are used for moving containers across the nation were shut out.
In an effort to offset the problem, transportation companies started using compliant trucks (low emission) to take the products to the California state line, where they could be transferred to non-compliant trucks who cannot enter California. However, the scale of the problem creates an immediate bottleneck that builds over time. It doesn’t matter if the ports start working 24/7, they are only going to end up with even more containers waiting on a limited amount of available trucks.
Yesterday, in an effort to obfuscate and actually hide the epicenter of the issue, the White House put on a performance to provide political cover. In a grand pantomime, Joe Biden met with the heads of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (Gene Seroka and Mario Cordero, respectively), and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).
The publicized meeting and White House conference was sold as Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg showing actions they are taking to address delays and congestion across the transportation supply chain in Southern California.
As a result of the meeting, the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) announced that it will join the Port of Long Beach (POLB) in expanding to 24/7 operations. POLA will add new off-peak nighttime shifts and weekend hours, nearly doubling its hours of operation. The ILWU said its members are willing to work those extra shifts to add needed labor capacity.
That publicly promoted action event was a complete political farce. No amount of extra productivity in working the docks to off-load ships will solve the issue of trucks that cannot pick up the containers and distribute them toward manufacturing or warehouses.
As I noted, the issue started becoming visible several years ago when the California Air Resource Board (CARB) announced the new environmental regulations. Several massive multinational corporations, with specifically in-tune supply and logistics operations, immediately recognized the issue they would face if 50+ percent of the trucking fleet would be blocked from entering California ports.
Yes, years ago the private sector predicted this would happen, and they started taking actions to protect their supply chains. What these massive corporations did to reduce their exposure to supply chain disruption was to immediately formulate plans to divert their goods to other ports. This was a very expensive shift in supply chain and logistic efforts for these massive corporations, which includes: Amazon, Walmart, UPS, FedEx, Samsung, The Home Depot and Target.
A long time before and during the era of the Trump administration, those massive multinational corporations knew they would need to redirect their import cargo quickly to avoid the bottleneck caused by California’s new emission standards. They began organizing new destination ports for their products and began setting up new hubs and distribution networks to avoid the predictable California port bottlenecks.
Obviously, for politically correct reasons; and in an effort to avoid the woke mob of environmentalist jackboots, the corporations didn’t publicly share any of the issues they could foresee coming – they just worked independently and quietly to avoid the issue.
However, it costs more money to move and entire supply chain for trillions of tons of goods coming. Hence, we saw prices climbing as a result of increased transportation costs being factored in to the new logistics. Did you hear about massive increases in container shipment prices? Well, THAT’S WHY. The entire supply chain from Asia to the United States was being modified from the closest port (California) to the ports where internal transportation would not be an issue.
Ships from China and SE Asia being diverted from California into the Gulf of Mexico or East coast have to go through the Panama Canal. It takes twice as long and costs twice as much, if not more. Hence, massive shipping price increases:
Unfortunately, small companies and small brokers of import goods do not have the control over their part of the supply chain from Asia to the West Coast. They don’t contract for entire cargo ships with thousands of containers. Those wholesalers, brokers and smaller companies that feed raw material and parts supplies to manufacturing and smaller retail outlets are stuck waiting for their containers to get through the trucking issue in California.
The bottleneck at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach run by Gene Seroka and Mario Cordero is not caused by a lack of longshoremen and dock workers to off-load the vessels. The bottleneck is caused by half of the previous trucks used to enter the ports and pick up containers not being allowed. Factually, it doesn’t make a tinkers damn worth of difference if the port works 24/7/365. The ports are simply running out of space.
The ports are running out of places to store containers full of goods that are getting off-loaded. Hundreds of thousands of them are piling up. The central issue is the inability of emission compliant heavy transportation in California to move those containers full of goods to manufacturing, warehouses and distribution points.
This California bottleneck has been building, and building and building for years, until now it has reached a crisis point.
If you want to know how long this has been taking place, take the time to watch this video of a trans-continental shipment belonging to Amazon Inc from China. As you watch this really good discussion, think about how long Amazon Inc. has known about the problem in order for them to have put such a massive solution into place in order to avoid California.
Yeah, this California emissions issue has been identified for years, and Amazon has been planning to avoid it for years. WATCH:
Meanwhile, Biden, Buttigieg and whoever is now the port “czar” have no clue. And CA, who caused a lot of this problem, will rant and rave and do nothing to fix it.
My son works in logistics. He said companies that source domestically have no issue. It’s only the companies that offshore that are having huge problems. The buried lead: Globalism doesn’t work very well.
For those saying trains are ok. Is that True, Trains are Diesel-electric. Do the Trains get a pass, are they also subject to the emissions standards. Trains get more tonnage per mile, slower and many things cause slowdowns. Did the trains get refitted for this or is it only for “others”
I never had much interest before, but I now find the subject of supply chains fascinating. Thanks to all Treepers for the continuing education. One question I’ve been thinking about – wouldn’t it have been cheaper for Amazon, et al, to buy their own compliant trucks and either run them on their own or lease them out to independent drivers? After all, that would be a one-time purchase, whereas, each longer trip is an on-going cost.
I think that’s what is planned, along with other major retailers like Walmart and Home Depot.
Supply chains are only really interesting when they’re not working because then everyone needs to look for solutions!
So then bypass Californian ports. Go to Portland in Oregon and Manzanillo, Lazaro Cardenas in Mexico. Time we let the California corruptocrats whither on the vine until they either blow away or slide into the Pacific Ocean. This was the plan for decades to utilize the North American Super Corridor (NASCO) through Mexico, the United States into Canada. California’s actions will just help facilitate just that plan by Bush back in 2005.
So yes California, go “green” so you can then die on the vine. https :// www .slideserve. com /oded/threats-to-our-communities-our-water-spp-super-corridors-nafta
So, Crazy CA can now be allowed to bottleneck the ENTIRE NATION’S GOODS, with its nutso regs?!?
Good God!! P. Trump wouldn’t put up with that for a minute.
What a shitshow! There NOTHING that these people do that doesn’t screw up something!…NOTHING!
Tell me your surprised….surprised that the… root cause…. of this problem is kalifornia….what did PDJT say? Everything liberals touch turns to shit…
This is not bad management, this is an attempt by California to hurt the rest of America. I wonder why federal laws can’t be used to ameliorate this problem it is an attack on interstate commerce? I hope this turns into a business opportunity for countries like Mexico.
Not ‘bad’,,,how about ‘Destructive’,,,and that is ‘Bad’. NO chance for Mexico,,,,,they would have to ship through Arizona, NM, or Texas, and avoid California.
on purpose
It is not only kalifornia! nu yuck is doing the same thing, the only one open is Florida!!
Blue states want problems so they can transform this country fundamentally. Take a look at liberal shit hole after liberal shithole and you realize they can’t govern. Commiefornia, DeLousy’s New York and Shoot em Up Chicago all disasters need the big bail out time and time again.
its on purpose!!!
FLORIDA…GO FLORIDA!!
Texas! Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi!
Surprise, surprise… New York and California are purposely creating a supply crisis. They also created a lockdown crisis leading to a mental health crisis. Oh, and don’t forget the economic crisis they created by locking children out of school for over a year making it impossible for parents to work if they were employed at one of the few places allowed to open during the “planned scamdemic”. None of this is coincidental. Create an economic crisis (close businesses & schools), then a labor shortage crisis (pay people to stay home & keep schools closed), then create a new labor crisis via an employee crisis (vaccine mandates) by forcing millions to be fired or forced to resign should they refuse their tyrannical vaccine mandate.
They will try to starve people if they have to. They do not care what it takes- they are determined to bring this country and American’s to their knees.
Unfortunately, they have underestimated America and We The People. You see, they worship Satan and we worship God. Perhaps they should’ve read the Bible rather than their favorite book, the communist manifesto. Too bad. They could’ve saved themselves a lot of trouble. God wins. One nation under God!
RTFA. Trump DID put up with it. Trump was NEVER a detailed oriented person. He never knew about this problem. He hired a bunch of backstabbers who didn’t do a damn thing to fight these crazy regulations. I love Trump’s policies, but the guy is not a good judge of people.
Trump wasn’t detail oriented? You’re falling for that? Wasn’t his EPA at least detail oriented?
Stop making excuses for Trump. He did what he did because he wanted to do it.
The article stated this was going on for years before Trump.
I agree. Trump worked daily with the mafia in New York, successfully. But the DC mob is a whole different story. He did trust people that he should not have, even those that were “trusted” aides. But he is educated now.
You are a little over VAXXED! Lol ? lol
Very astute reason why Trump had problems with his administration.
No. Trump gives people a chance. Some rise to the opportunity, some don’t…
Right, because you would’ve been able to stand up against the corrupt democrats, Rinos, FBI, CIA, DOJ and intelligence agencies with big tech assisting all of them in their war against you? He had to bring people in to the administration and OBama spent Nov 2016 -Jan 20, 2017 making sure he had his criminal counterparts in all the right places to undermine President Trump every step of the way. They destroyed every person he trusted and tried to put in place. He didn’t realize the Republican Party would equally work against him with the democrats destroying lives simply to remove him from office. Remember General Michael Flynn? Michael Cohen? Steve Bannon? George Podopolous? Roger Stone? Rudy? Or the other handful of employees they forced out of the whitehouse from his administration? Almost all every person he started with whom he knew & trusted & they knew wouldn’t do their dirty work and would stand in the way of them stonewalling his every move – they ended up battling the US federal gov in years of lawsuits! Do you think it was easy to get high quality people to sign up for public defamation and career suicide so they could defend themselves against the fbi & a 40 million dollar- 2 year mueller investigation scam? They took out every person he trusted that was not weak like the RINOs and wouldn’t give in to their demands.
It’s easy to think President Trump had poor intuition when it came to people, but not when you have to fill 4000 plus people in an administration and cabinet positions. They didn’t even approve his Director of National intelligence until LATE 2019!!
President Trump was not perfect in who he allowed to have access to him and his administration, but he also didn’t exactly have much time to figure out a back up plan when they started impeaching him before he was even inaugurated.
Here’s the thing about these braindead humans (ie. the Governor, the legislature, and the voters) in Cali. There is so much self-righteousness in this state, and these people pride themselves on being the first to institute moralistic, heroic-sounding ideas, as if they are saving the planet.
BUT they never consider the ramifications or outcome or even what will replace the common sense practices. For example, in a few years, sale of gas powered vehicles will be prohibited in the entire state; and gas-powered anything (like generators or lawn care equipment) cannot be sold. Do they care how it affects the lower/middle class, businesses owners, or that there isn’t a really affordable, reliable replacement? NO. They don’t care. They only want to be the first to save the planet.
Newsom mandated all school children 5+ be vaxxed as soon as the FDA approves it, w/o WAITING to research any dangers! It’s not even available, yet; BUT he has to be the first!!!
It’s part of why our state burns every single year and why we have no real water reliable source, still. Zero proactiveness or brainstorming. But we’re saving the planet and leading the way!!!
California will be Bypassed….They will become Isolated and Financially Decimated….Their Insanity is already Costing them Big Time…they have Very Large Numbers of People Fleeing the State ….for ..’FREEDOM’.States..and .will lose 1 – 3 Congressional Seats…at a Minimum….
All according to the communist dem plan. Destroy the United States and cede us to a global communist state.
To be not only replaced but outnumbered by the barbarian hordes crossing the borders as we speak.
They should’ve lost 3 seats with the 2020 census but they blocked the Trump administration from accessing the census results and then counted illegal immigrants and non citizens despite Trump admin fighting and winning at the Supreme Court that illegal non citizens could not be included in the census count. They did it anyway and I guarantee they inflated their numbers drastically. Why do you think they are paying to import illegal immigrants now and actively flying them around the country and driving them on grey hound buses to states all over the country? Backfilling their census counts and lack of voters, which they realized how little voter base they had when they were forced to find fake ballots for 7 days after the DAY of the election! They all deserve to be in prison until they are convicted and punished for treason. Evil. They are evil, sick people. This is the result of Satan worshipers. Nasty people.
Why are you still there?
Why is anyone who wants a decent future still there?
It might be because no one wants to live near people from California or NYC.
We’re trying. My husband has been actively putting out resumes everywhere in TX, TN, and FL, for over a year now. Nothing, yet. 🙁 But I agree…there is NO FUTURE in CALI. Unless you are illegal, a criminal, a druggie, homeless, a Marxist, a self-righteous environmentalist, or socialist educator, than DON’T come here. There is no future for self-governing, liberty-loving, patriots.
Trust me on this, find a place he wants to work or an area you want to live, makes some calls and GO THERE! If he checks out, odds are he will be hired on the spot. I have had to do exactly that since Obama came along. I went back to the oil fields, now, I can simply pick up the phone and find employment anywhere in the country. I have never obtained a job with a resume.
We just moved out of cali in august. I’ve been contacted by recruiters for jobs in San Diego nonstop since we moved! However, the high paying jobs in free states are much harder to find and have people waiting to jump on them (like your husband!) when they do become available. Have faith, you will find a job, but don’t wait too long to make your move. It will all work out. Start packing and Sell your home. The hardest part was locating a moving company and movers that had any availability for 4 months… book your movers early!
I don’t wish to be rude but not all of us cut and run when the going gets tough. Some of us stay and try to right the wrongs.
I learned a long time ago that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Kommifornia is the perfect example of that.
Makes you wonder if his kids will have vaccine passports?! I bet his aren’t vaxxed…and neither is he.
Dems are a party devoid of logic or reality.
Neither Democrats nor Republicans are working for the American people they are working for their donors.
Technically, the California trucking regulations occurred under Trump’s term. States can make such decisions. The consequences of those actions by California are now coming home to roost as the pandemic accelerated the problem with many more shipments coming from China into CA ports.
Trumps administration tried to fight it. His EPA battled them for years. We tried to vote it down, but then they removed it from the ballot and made the decision for the voters without the voters input… just like the massive gas tax increase. We tried to repeal it for years. They do what they want because they don’t allow real elections so there is no fear of repercussions for their tyrannical actions. Their dem monopoly is so deep they fire their own Democrat employees who work for the executive branch and actually do their job. One prime example is the woman who was hired by Newsom to fix the budget in one state department. When she found millions of dollars missing and where it went he fired her for it. Newsome is toxic and disgusting. Just wait, they will have him running for President in 2024 or 2028. Mark my words.
Trump’s EPA signed the deal.
Re-evaluate Trump.
Re-evaluate YOURSELF.
Bullshit. Trump never signed the settlement. It was entirely a *settlement* between deep-staters in the EPA and *trucking companies.* Presidents do NOT get involved in agency settlements. You’re clearly either ignorant or a Democrat troll.
I suspect Trump wasn’t even aware the deep-staters were pursuing what would have appeared to be a trivial settlement with three trucking companies. I say again: trivial. Look at the settlement amount: $470,000 or so? Barely worth a news article.
But there’s yet another way to understand that this was a deep-state operation: The bottlenect at the Cali ports threatens to disrupt a LOT of U.S. economic activity, right? So if Trump appointees had done this, the biden/harris regime would have publicly identified the culprits as Trump appointees and fired ’em.
….Has the regime identified anyone at the EPA? No. Which means the culprits are deep-staters.
its all intentional–planned to collapse our free market system
Makes you think it might be intentional doesn’t it.
This was done on purpose and planned long ago. They knew this was going to happen and it’s perfect timing so they can rule over us with higher prices and control us by food and products.
This deal was approved by the EPA under the Trump administration.
Restricting interstate trucks would seem to be a violation of the commerce clause. But instead the EPA jumped on board.
The Commerce clause applies to the Legislature, NOT the EPA. Congress has the power to fix this.
In fact, it was this very situation that the need for the commerce clause was envisioned.
Well, there are other ports to deliver to.
The earth is a globe, sail to the other side…
Panama Canal was built to sail through – I know, a lot would be waiting in line to go through but at least they would be moving
We would be happy to accommodate here in VA ports.
RTFA! RTFA! RTFA! The article says Panama costs twice as much and takes 11 extra days. California is still the quickest option.
They have been waiting more than 11 extra days out in the water and it’s costing them more in delays of future shipments, fuel, manpower, etc….
you have never worked in shipping. your logic is faulty and based on normal conditions. ships in california ports are in danger of waiting MONTHS. DETENTION TIME COSTS THE SHIPPER. EVENTUALLY CARGO MAY BE WORTHLESS.
Sadly, China owns and controls the majority of the ports and loading bays on each side of the Panama Canal.
Panama canal is being expanded to handle new wider container ships.
completed years ago. New Panamax (per wiki) is 14,000 TEU (TEU=twenty-foot container equivalent units).
The Panama canal uses a series of locks to allow ships to transit across the canal. It’s not just a simple sail from one end to another.
The largest container ships cant travel thru the canal. Its too narrow.
and don’t forget about canal draft limitations due to low panama rainfall in the central highlands (due to global warming?)
Jimmy Carter was the one that refused to renew our lease with Panama for the canal WE built, who then immediately signed up with China. The first thing the Commies did was to line the canal with their military so they can stop shipping instantly if the chose to. One more anti American decision by a Democrat,….a pattern that has been consistently the same for the last 50 years.
I never saw any Chinese troops in Panama or around the canal. Where did you get this information?
Everybody knows the canal is run by China. Don’t try to tell us you saw absolutely no one operating the route. There’s no such thing as a chinese citizen versus military. In a Communist country it is all one and the same. Who cares what the cap or coat they are wearing looks like.
Carter was just as evil as the rest of the Democrats. He now tries to repaint it as blunders.
Screw California. There are other ports in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and the Gulf. The South will rise again and this time without any demoRats.
“There are other ports…” not if most of the crap being imported is from China! Or at least the transport will be much longer…china to South Carolina?
Looks like 75% of shipping into LA is from china so who cares leave it out there.
Portland and Seattle. Maybe Vancouver. But the analysis doesn’t explain why liner rates on the China/LA trade are up. That Amazon shipment is via a bulk carrier, not a liner so there are issues (costs) about carrying cargo on deck of a bulker. Meanwhile Coca-Cola is shipping in bulk, not containerized, to avoid the container backlog.
https://www.worldstopexports.com/south-carolinas-top-10-exports/
The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased about two-thirds (67%) worth of the total value of products exported from South Carolina during 2020.
South Carolina’s top trade partners in Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) consume 23.3% of the overall value of exported goods from the Palmetto State. This compares with 19.1% for North American importers in Canada and Mexico.
Bring the supply chain back to the US. That solves the California transportation problem. Let them cook in their own socialist juice.
Mayor Pete is all over this problem, like white on rice…oops!
like brown on s…. he is from a lame landlocked state (indiana on lake michigan doesn’t count as seaport.
There have been many people, some ex-military, that expressed concern about off-shoring manufacturing since Reagan started this. Their arguments always made sense to me. I don’t think you can blame this problem on Trump. I am sure that he got that idea from someone and simply agreed with it.
Do you mean Trumpist or Trumplike?
Exactly. The democrats cry climate change yet they will use boats and planes to buy their garbage they have made across the works just to have it shipped back here and then shipped all across the country. Gosh, if we made our own products and supplies here I bet we wouldn’t have as much pollution from constantly shipping and flying goods back and forth now would we? We wouldn’t have a shipping crisis and then wouldn’t have an inflation crisis now would we? We would also have more jobs and higher wages! Imagine that, you dumb communist.
The Country is already Quickly Dividing between Blue and Red States…..The South is Quickly Separating from ‘Liberal Insanity and the ‘Impostors ‘..Unconstitutional E.O’s…Edicts….The Great Divide is Expanding with Each Passing Day…!!
The South is Truly Rising again….!!!!!…..Extremely Glad I Live Here….’F’…Kalifornia….!!!!
Long live Dixie!
Amen.
Self inflicted wound.
Is the backlog o shipping also on the East Coast or New Orleans?
If, at a macro level, corporate transportation and logistics fleets need to move twice as many transportation assets to the West coast to deal with new green regs, then what happens to the East coast where transportation assets are removed from?
The answer to your question.
Replace those trucks with the less eco-friendly trucks from the west coast 🙂
New Orleans is not a significant container port. Houston rather. More important is Bayonne/Elizabeth, Charleston, Newport News (Port of Virginia), Miami
Who’s to say that this isn’t part of their plan to create the “Dark Winter” that BozoBoy talked about months ago?
That’s exactly what it is.
Probably why Amazon built new hubs on the east coast. Again, just more money for them, so of course they won’t go public with the info.
About 75% of all my Amazon orders are from one to five days late. This may be the reason and will end up in Amazon losing customers. When I have a project sitting in my shop for a week waiting for parts Amazon Prime promised to have here in two days,… shopping local starts to make way more sense.
I’ve seen there immense warehouse grounds in the Virginia foothills.
Products that are made in the USA don’t have to be shipped through California.
However the globalists have been shutting production in this country for decades. I’m old enough to remember when we designed and built products here in the USA with the components and materials sourced here.
I’m old enough to have worked at Converse making footwear here in the US before that production was moved to Taiwan in the 70’s
That’s why Americans loved Reagan and Trump.
This is another issue that really pissed me off! An an owner operator myself, I refuse to go into California. No idol policy, highest ifta tax rates accross the country. The CA. DOT is the worse in the country absolutely corrupt. You have to pay to park in most locations. And god forbid you have to refuel while in their dam state profits gone! Every truck manufacturer has to build every unit based on California compliance. The def system, the egr system, the diesel particulates filters, exct exct exct. Why does California have to screw up the entire truck manufacturing for trucks like mine that don’t even go to California ever!? Makes more sense to only produce a percentage of manufacturers to build for California compliance. Not every dam thing they produce! One dam state with that much power! Yeah no bring the pain they deserve it! You non drivers have no idea what a pain in the ass these California complying trucks cost to operate. It’s absolutely insane when these emissions trucks have issues its always the chips and or sending units. You think it’s bad now? Wait untill China attacks Taiwan. Because these days when trucks go down its ecm issues and chip issues! Trucks are sitting at shops some for weeks others for months waiting on chips and or computer parts. You think its bad now? Again if China hits Taiwan our new California complying trucks will come to a screeching haul! Bet on it, that’s allready happening now!
I drive a 1991 Peterbilt 378
With a cat engine. Love it.
No sensors, egr, def filters
The truck just runs and runs. Few problems.
Previously I drove a 2018
Freightliner. With all the
Emissions stuff and sensors. That truck
Was in the shop every month. It was frustrating.
Ric, iam with ya! I’ve got 10 payments to go.. after that going back pre 2000 pre emissions. You can’t make any dam money in trucking with these emissions trucks! Absolute garbage trucks…
On a different scale, but same principles, bought a dirtbike..Honda off road only,California specs, ran it for a year, carb started to fail, rebuilt it to east coast specs, carb and exhaust, doubled both HP and torque… major improvement. I live 10 miles from the Ocean on the East coast, why was my Offroad only motorcycle built (and only available) built to California Specs?
I hope you can find one to buy! Our family owns a trucking company and it’s impossible to find anything right now and has been for the last 6 months or so. Even trailers are hard to find.
Keep the Peterbilt….Forever….No..B.S. Emissions or Problems…..and Avoid California….and their $6.50 Gas…or is it Higher…???
I agree. I drive a 2500 RAM, and I can’t keep the emission equipment working. It was one thing when the repairs were under warranty, but now after the warranties are expired it is real damn expensive. If I really worked my truck the repairs would be more frequent. Guys with pre-emission trucks don’t have any of my problems.
Excellent post/info,Mark.TY
My relatives living in CA got their vehicles registered in AZ. Lot’s of Californian’s do that to avoid DMV.
Hyundai said it will build its Own ‘Chips’…will No Longer be Dependent on Outside Suppliers….
Smart Companies Make Smart Decisions….BTW..I own 2 Hyundai’s ..Excellent Cars….
That’s Commiefornia making sure it F@cks everyone else too while they’re at it.
why dont they use the o.k. trucks just to get the load over kalifornia state line and let the rest of the trucks take overb
They do.
The best solution is to make as much as possible within the United States ex-California, like we used to. A return to domestic production started under President Trump. If the Democrat “infrastructure” bill is allowed to pass, US corporate tax rates will go back to incentivizing US businesses to go back to sourcing anywhere but in the USA.
Ford is already going back to Mexico….Thanks Biteme!
Are there more gays workers in Mexico?
Just cheaper labor,..less regulations… no unions… fewer safety regulations all to increase the profit margins…Bending a knee to the almighty buck.
What, the trains suddenly stopped going to the docks? The railway system has stopped? Does anyone have even a modicum of critical thinking skills anymore? A truck can carry exactly ONE 40 or 53 foot container… a double can carry two. A train can carry TWO HUNDRED. This has nothing to do with the green new deal, which is enough of a death spike into the heart of America. This is due to backups over the last 18 months due to covid and California’s stupid response. You cannot unload 60 (or perhaps a lot more) huge container ships all at once. You can unload one at a time per dock. They can only move so many containers onto train cars so fast. It’s a f**king elephant. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Read more about this, in significantly more blunt terms, at raconteurreport dot blogspot dot com. I didn’t come up with this myself.
That was my thought exactly. Move from ships to trains to hubs dispersed all over the U.S.. From there the trucks take the containers to smaller locations and warehouses.
Same type of reasoning as fighting the pipelines…most efficient way to move liquids… cross country if needed. But the first thing our Moron President did was end the construction. As well as blocking the completion of the border wall, paid for and nearly done… inviting an invasion. It is intentional destruction of America… by liberal America Hating Demonrats. They do not seem to understand they are setting their own house on fire,… but then they also voted for Brandon…..
Dems are pure evil poison.
My take:
https://naturalgasnow.org/california-enviro-madness-creating-economic-disaster-for-all/
The solution? 200% tariff on everything coming out of China. Once products are manufactured in the nation’s heartland once again, the whole country will be just a day or two away via truck.. (Except California which will exclusively enjoy the delay and extra shipping costs).
For a state famous for its rolling blackouts it is hard to believe they banned gas powered generators. !
China owns our ports. We are at war with them. This will get worse. This is a blockade and our CCP leaders are in on this.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/05/trump_administration_forces_china_to_sell_the_port_of_long_beach.html
Add to that a shortage of truck drivers since 2019. And now a shortage of warehouse workers.
There are currently a few videos right now on Youtube and Rumble that are taken by truckers showing hundreds of trucks idling in parking lots there, and they are even going into overflow lots and they are saying the Long Shoreman are “slow rolling” unloading with Trucks average wait 8 hrs to get a container. Not that the trucks cannot get in. The videos show the cranes idle, not unloading.
This story is true, btw. I was in trucking for 16 years. The good news is that it’s an easy fix, just have to get California to allow older trucks into the State, and therefore into the port, and haul containers.. which the same trucks routinely do in the other 47 contiguous states anyway.
Maybe the Chinese military will step in.
For some reason, I think the Democrats would have no problem with that. Beginning from the top down.
California Must be Bypassed…There Insanity Grows by the Day…..
They are Simply Insane People….Trucks..Cars..Ships…Boats..Airplanes etc have a ..’NEGLIGIBLE ‘ effect on Weather…. they just add to Our Comfortable Lifestyle…!!!..Insanely Arrogant and Stupid to Think they affect Climate or Weather…….
But ‘Progressive Insane Libs’..Won’t have it …they also Have NO Tolerance for ‘Opposing ‘..Views….!!!
Boycott…Bypass California….I will Gladly Pay More to see that Happen…!!!…and it will Eventually…!!
Good thing Buttaputz ins on maternity leave.
Everyone in the trucking industry has known about California’s tightening down on EPA emissions coming for years. Comply or you’re out of business in California. Amazon et al were not smarter than the people in the trucking industry. I suspect there is quite a bit more at play here than the trucking industry getting caught flat footed.
A smart business person with capital should develop a port in Mexico that sidesteps California.
A smart business person with capital would have to a 51% partner from Mexico.
Good luck with that when the 51% partner goes napoleon and takes over.
But I agree .
A port near Yuma, AZ with a secure direct US custom controlled rail and highway link to the US rail system and Interstate highway system would be a competitor to LA and Puget sound.
Another solution is go to the Fair Tax and watch the USA become the manufacturer of the World.
So why have we not heard about this congestion in the ports of San Fransisco and San Diego, at least not in the news, nor your story?
California is like a bowl of granola; it’s full of fruits, nuts, and flakes.
The DemoNazi Party is at war with America. They will lose, but will put us all through a lot of pain and turmoil.
The Conservative Revival begins
Never surrender. Vanquish the enemy.
Get these items to GOP states, they will get them unloaded ASAP, The mistakes is relying on Commiefornia or New York
Send the Ships to Houston screw California.
Since we’re talking freight, supply chain transportation, I’d like to offer a personal observation of railroad freight….
I live maybe 30 yards from the United States rail line that services North America…There are two tracks. when I moved to this location, Cosco was in charge of the Long Beach Port and I daily saw twenty to thirty freight engines pulling freight cars loaded with Cosco freight & trailer containers.
About a year ago, the railroads started running what they call “super trains”, mile after mile of cars attached to multiple engines, which resulted in fewer small trains on the tracks but the same amount of cargo being hauled. Every hour on the hour a super train would roll by my front door.
For the last two months, train traffic has been decreasing, and now if I hear a train pass by, they are short and hauling little in the way of freight containers.
The Northern Line of the US Railroad is vulnerable and it just so happens that last week, an Amtrak train overturned at a critical switching juncture which shut down all rail traffic between Seattle and Minneapolis for three days…..One would have expected that after the rail was repaired, one would see trains hauling more freight in order to make up the lost three days of shipments….but that hasn’t happened.
Rail traffic on the Northern Line Railroad is noticeably absent……
I just called my Congressman. Where have they been on this issue? Instead of giving billions for welfare to Afghans refugees, maybe they should have given monies for truckers to afford these newer trucks.
The lead up to Atlas Shrugged.
As this is a political move by California, I hope the rest of the states can find a way to reciprocate. There must be a way to fight fire with fire.
Ships send a message to Biden
And Newsome got away from being recalled. The STUPID PARTY in CA and nationally RNC. I’m soooooo disgusted
No argument that the RINOs are stupid, BUT no power on Earth could have prevented Newsom from defeating the recall, because the Dems had the all-mail ballot scheme going. All the vote counters are Democrat agents.
On the bright side – maybe just maybe some industries might consider moving back onshore again ??? One can hope eh ?
If I were Canada or Oregon , Wash. I would be stealing all the shipping I could handle about now.
buy American
Unlike the government under this blowhard, even Leftist business people understand what needs to be done!
This 24 hours business is going to backfire. Truckers cannot work without sleep, but I bet many will. Stay safe out on the road and watch out for that sleep deprived trucker who can’t keep it between the lines.
Make it here. Problem solved.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/empty-christmas-stockings-dont-blame-covid-blame-california
Sundance made it onto zerohedge.
As he has many times before….
A rep of the CA Truckers Ass offers the following in response, summarized. I personally am not educated on the subject and offer no opinion. Would be interested if anyone has a rebuttal
The statement that trucks that are older than three years are not allowed in the ports is not correct.
The general statewide rule is trucks need to be 2007 model year or newer. There is a transition to 2010 or newer beginning in 2023.
However, at the Ports of LA and LB, they will not allow you to register to operate new vehicles there if they are older than 2014 MY.
Not sure where people are getting the three-year-old rule, but he has seen that several times.
The central issue of what’s going on is a huge swing in supply and demand, where right after the pandemic, there was a 30% drop in container volume, which was then replaced by a 30% increase in cargo volume. So that type of big increase is very unusual – a typical surge is not ever more than 10% usually.
As a result, things started getting backed up, and then the inland distribution infrastructure started getting full. The marine terminals don’t have the space and facilities to handle such a surge efficiently.
As far as the CARB, EPA settlement agreement – this was an enforcement action against a couple interstate carriers, and did not result in “half of the nation’s truckers” not being able to pick up stuff at the ports.
On the other hand, there are some things coming that will be a problem, if the current situation is still ongoing for a while.
The current vehicle manufacturing and parts shortage is likely to make it hard for trucks to meet emissions rules starting in 2023.
For example, he does say that roughly 40% of the trucks in the ports today are 2007 to 2009 MY. And those need to be replaced by Jan. 1, 2023.
But manufacturers are indicating they likely will not be able to deliver those kinds of numbers of new/cleaner trucks by then.
But those requirements are not affecting the whole supply crisis at this juncture.
He also acknowledged a shortage of truckers is part of the problem (but not a shortage of trucks that can come into the port).
Another thing on the horizon is a CARB regulation requiring port fleets to purchase zero-emission models beginning possibly in 2024. They are likely to press CARB to push back some of those requirements because of a likely shortage of such zero-emission models. He said that rule could possibly contribute to shipping problems if it isn’t made more flexible.
Interestingly Mark Levin is discussing this on his radio show tonight. Nice work Sundance — word is spreading about the problems being rooted in a state government inflicted trucking shortage. Meanwhile Mr and Mr butt-edge-edge fiddle while the rest of the country burns.
Send the stuff back to the Chinese communists.
With time, crimes are resolved. Stalling responses to suspect criminals is their worst nightmare
This is only part of the issue. The LA ports also use rail for transport of at least 50% of the traffic heading to the midwest and that is not subject to this emissions issue. I spoke to an industry insider (from one of the top 4 multi-national shipping companies) and the same situation exists in Seattle, Savannah, and New York.
The key issue is the US infrastructure as a whole is not capable of keeping up with the production capability of the Far East – particularly when they are going full churn. The rest of the supply chain also needs to find a way to step it up and increase production. This will not be resolved for at least 8-10 months.
This article is “spot on” for more insight: https://www.nationandstate.com/2021/10/15/global-ship-backlog-just-got-even-worse-as-new-supply-chain-nemesis-emerges/
One shipping giant just put out this “PR move” that was really targeted at their competitors (since they are all “printing money at current rates anyway…). https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cma-cgm-just-capped-rates-what-does-this-mean-for-container-shipping