U.S. Pandemic Logistics Perfidy: Yes, California’s Trucking & Employment Laws partially to blame for Supply problems!

21 October 2021 (00:32-UTC-07 Tango 06) 29 Mehr 1400/14 Rabi ‘al-Awwal 1443/16 Wu-Xu (9th month) 4719

Here’s a big coincidence, California’s Trucking and Bus Regulation went into effect on 01JAN2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic, and the shortages that soon resulted were blamed on the pandemic: “On January 1, 2020 heavy-duty diesel vehicles that are not in compliance with the Truck & Bus regulation will be unable to register their vehicle with DMV.”

The Trucking and Bus Regulation is supposedly about the environmental impact of semi-trucks and busses, but there is another law known as AB5 (aka Gig Worker Law), it is the law that caused so much problems with home delivery service operations, such as Uber and Door Dash. On 05OCT2021, the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear a challenge brought by a shipping company to California’s Assembly Bill 5 (AB5). The shipping company relies on what federal law calls ‘owner-operator’ truck drivers. There is another pending lawsuit by a different shipping company waiting to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Center Square: California Trucking Association petitions U.S. Supreme Court.

12OCT2021: XPO Logistics settles yet another failure to pay drivers at California port lawsuit, this time for a record $30-million!

On 18OCT2021, DTN/Progressive Farmer published an article which reveals that California’s laws are affecting shipping companies outside The Golden State, and that the whole pandemic logistics problem is because corporations (not just shipping companies but retailers such as Walmart as well) have been intentionally operating with fewer employees and work hours, revealed when they agreed to shift to 24/7 operations (gee, I remember when 24/7 was the norm). Analysts blame the pandemic for making the truck driver shortage worse, but how could there be a driver shortage when it turns out that trucking/shipping operations had been drastically cut back (also blamed on the pandemic)? To prove that it was just labor cost saving shenanigans, all it apparently took was a phone call from Joe Biden and now the entire supply chain industry says ‘oh, no problem, we’ll just go to 24/7 operations and hire more people’!

14OCT2021, there is no truck driver shortage, video shows trucks backed up at California port:

But I can’t blame California totally; New York state imposes new trucking laws, as well as New Jersey considers adopting California trucking laws.

CDLLife: Six Eastern states join forces to conduct Interstate 70 crackdown, greatly slowing down truck traffic under the guise of educating “motorists on safe driving habits”!

19OCT2021, Mid-West truck driver posts video showing huge warehouse with plenty of open loading docks while at the same time truckers are being told they have to wait to unload, the result creates domino effect causing truckers to miss or cancel their next pick-ups, also, trucks are being refused entry for piddly paperwork reasons. Pay attention to the amount of open/not in use loading docks at this massive warehouse/distribution center:

Federal Department of Transportation (DoT) rules governing the trucking industry basically apply to truck drivers who cross state lines (interstate commerce), truck drivers who do not only have to comply with state laws.

Forbes: Unclogging The Ports Will Not Fix The Supply Chain’s Even Bigger Trucking Crisis.

FreightWaves: California’s new law hits warehouse operations in Southern California!

California’s new law targets Amazon.

National Law Review: California’s new law concerning ‘owner-operators’ could increase the cost of shipping.

“California’s meal and rest rules not only pose a safety risk but also lead to a loss in productivity and, ultimately, hurt American consumers.”-Ray Martinez, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Get ready for more in 2022, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reveals new California laws that go into effect January 2022; a new law that affects warehouse/distribution operations, a new law that concerns pandemic infections in the workplace, and even a new law concerning protective equipment for migrant farm workers during wildfires!

September 2019: California’s contractor law has steep implications for trucking.

Pandemic Perfidy: AUSTRALIA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND, UNITED KINGDOM

U.S. Pandemic Logistics Perfidy: DEBT CEILING vs ARMORED S-U-V! Tax robbing officials say it’s about avoiding supply chain problems caused by the pandemic!

Pandemic Terminator: Pandemic labor shortages in the U.S. actually caused by A-I hiring programs which are blocking 27-million people from employment!

Pandemic Logistics Shenanigans, June 2021: “A SUPPLY/DEMAND MISMATCH” “NEW NORMAL”