I’m A Twenty Year Truck Driver, I Will Tell You Why America’s “Shipping Crisis” Will Not End

MEDIUM.COM ^ | 27 OCTOBER 2021 | RYAN JOHNSON

[JonPreston]

the root causes of the shipping crisis

Starting with Bush #41, the Republican party married the concept of Free Trade. With that they signed the GATT, the WTO and NAFTA. That is why we have a supply chain that extends to China rather than the 48 contiguous states.

[PGR88]

American society is focused on entertainment and politics - not production, peace or responsibility

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[Harpotoo]

It means plenty of overtime pay and theft by the ILA.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

#4: "American society is focused on entertainment and politics - not production, peace or responsibility

Wow. Perfect summary.

How many young people, instead of learning a trade or a legitimate degree, focus their energy on being a TikTok star, basketball player, "aspiring rapper"?

[cgbg]

Good article.

The Bidet gang couldn’t begin to fix this even if they wanted to...but the reality is they couldn’t care less so they can just hold press conferences announcing “victory” and, if it really gets bad they can just start pointing fingers at everybody else.

The mass media will be happy to participate in the witch-hunt.

[z3n]

I wonder how much government interference there is on building more ports with higher capacity.

We don’t build more refineries because we don’t believe in supply. Just “the environment”

We deserve what we get. Elections matter. Policies matter. See my tagline

[Vermont Lt]

I did a stint as a process engineering guy. This whole process needs to be torn down and rebuilt.

Biden’s response of “work harder” simply indicates that the only process he ever managed is Hunters graft. When I would go into an office and the manager would say they just have to “work harder”, I would tell my partner that this guy wouldn’t last the year.

[Bonemaker]

“...I’m fortunate enough to be a Teamster — a union driver ...”

Why doesn’t the beloved union do something? Paid off? Hmm?

[central_va]

Starting with Bush #41, the Republican party married the concept of Free Trade. With that they signed the GATT, the WTO and NAFTA. That is why we have a supply chain that extends to China rather than the 48 contiguous states.

Sadly very few Republicans will admit to this absolute truth.

[central_va]

American society is focused on entertainment and politics

A sign that the aggregate IQ of the USA is in decline.

[JonPreston]

They are like cultists. These failed trade deals are why we’re in this mess and they simply can’t admit it.

[central_va]

I wonder how much government interference there is on building more ports with higher capacity.

LOL! Talk about getting things backwards!! We should be closing ports and building factories.

[woodbutcher1963]

I know a truck driver that just took a new job about a month ago driving a dedicated route where he is home every night.
He is located in KS. His pay doubled from his last trucking job where he was away from home 1-2 nights at a time.
He now is getting $115K/year.

ANY trucker that has a clean record should be applying for a new job right now.

This will have a ripple effect across the country. The NET effect is that everything you buy in a store is going to cost more.

[central_va]

Teamsters are a paltry 2% of the entire trucker workforce.

[JonPreston]

You apparently forget his obsession with Jeff Sessions :)

[z3n]

LOL! Talk about getting things backwards!! We should be closing ports and building factories.

~~~

Would you not use those ports for exports?

[Vigilanteman]

I've been in supply chain management with three different companies over the last two decades. Your article is interesting and informative. The companies for whom I have worked have benefited by two principles I taught them early on (learned from a previous career on the other side of the Pacific), namely:

1. Avoid using the port of LA/Long Beach whenever possible as a point of entry.
   
2. Avoid using the Chicago rail yard whenever possible as a transfer point.

The reasons you mention in your article give reasons why these two principles were sound and effective for the last two decades and why the companies that I worked for enjoyed far fewer headaches for only slightly higher shipping costs.

But now EVERYBODY is making those discoveries. We will be protected for a matter of months (at best) because of our pre-established shipping relationships. But after that, we will no longer be a star in supply chain management.

In am of age and could afford to retire right now, but my company is making it worthwhile for me to stay. Maybe I'll regret it, but I feel duty bound to hang in there a little longer.